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VOLUNTEER SERVICES
The Volunteers of America Volunteer Services Division provides more than
11,000 individuals with a meaningful opportunity to
give back to the community with their time, talent
and expertise. These volunteers, with their deep
commitment to helping others, are the heart and soul
of Volunteers of America. There are hundreds of ways
to volunteer in over 35 programs. Some volunteers
are working adults who donate a lunch-hour a week to
deliver Meals on Wheels.
Others read to children whose families are in crises
at the Brandon Center. Through the Youth Volunteer
Program, high school students volunteer to discover
the satisfaction of men-toring a younger child.
Corporate volunteer teams join our pro-grams and
special events for a sense of team building and
corporate giving. The Foster Grandparent program
provides limited-income seniors an avenue to serve
both as mentors and surrogates to troubled chil-dren.
The Handyman Program harnesses compassionate
individuals who donate their skills and time to
keeping seniors safe in their homes. Thousands of
volunteers faithfully participate each holiday
season in one of the many holiday opportunities,
including Basket of Joy, Adopt a Family and the
Thanksgiving Day Meal for the Homeless. This strong
corps of volunteers touches the lives of real people
in each of our programs. Volunteers of America
extends an invitation to everyone to discover
first-hand how volunteering creates significant
positive impact on both the clients and the
volunteers. |
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GRANDMA OPAL AND GRANDPA PETE OF THE FOSTER
GRANDPARENTS PROGRAM
Grandma Opal and Grandpa Pete are two exceptional volunteers dedicated to
one of the most difficult programs within the Foster
Grandparent Program. It isn’t easy working in a
young women’s residential treatment facility for
troubled teenagers. The most amazing aspect is
seeing the transformation of these young women when
they receive unconditional love and positive
mentoring from their foster grandparents.
Grandpa Pete is a humble man, with years of experience working as a
physician in third-world countries. Grandma Opal is
80 years old, sweet with a genuine smile - and
always ready to exchange a hug or give a sincere “I
love you” to the girls in the program.
Some volunteers choose to read to preschoolers or provide one-on-one
mentoring to struggling elementary
school children. But these two seniors wouldn’t swap
their vol-unteer jobs with teenagers for anything.
Pete and Opal understand that these girls, some
angry and defiant, suffer untold hardships. “The
girls have their hard times, and that’s why we’re
here.” |
