Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, April 28, 1994 TAG: 9404280226
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: By LESLIE TAYLOR STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
She types, files, date-stamps, logs data into computers - "whatever they need me to do, I do," said Stevens, of Salem.
"I'm cheap. I work for free."
Stevens, who was recognized with other volunteers at a department reception on Wednesday, is one of an estimated 95,000 people in the Roanoke Valley who give of themselves to government agencies, community groups and health organizations, and ask nothing in return.
Volunteerism has become one of the nation's buzz words. When President Bill Clinton signed into law the National and Community Service Trust Act last year, he moved volunteer community service from back burner to limelight.
"In the past, we've looked at volunteerism from an isolated viewpoint," said Kathy Vesley, director of the Virginia Office of Volunteerism. "I don't think we've ever had formal recognition of its value."
The Community Service Trust Act is designed to strengthen volunteer initiatives throughout the country. It received the most attention for establishing a program that will allow students to earn money for college tuition or repayment of student loans by performing two years of community service.
But the act also established the Corporation for National and Community Service, which will finance grants for service programs addressing unmet human and health, educational, environmental and public safety needs in the United States.
Already, $1.5 billion in federal funding has been authorized during the next three years for developing and improving volunteer programs nationwide. States that want to secure eligibility for funding - Virginia included - must submit by June 15, a plan addressing their community service priorities that would benefit from volunteer work.
"I think priorities in Virginia are going to closely parallel national ones," Vesley said. "Those needs are human needs - community-based health care, rebuilding neighborhoods, improving educational achievement through mentoring and other activities. These grants really are the seed money for programs that look at these areas.
"I'm not sure people realize how great an impact this can have for us."
For several months, a statewide team of people has worked with Vesley's office to develop a plan that is expected to ensure Virginia a piece of the Community Service Trust Act pie. Public hearings were held throughout the state from March 29-April 11 to gain public input on Virginia's volunteer needs and on the formation of a commission that will oversee the state's volunteer structure.
"We are sensing from the public a respect and appreciation for volunteers and the great need for additional development," said John Dooley, resource development specialist for Virginia Cooperative Extension at Virginia Tech and member of the development team.
"We're hearing that we need to find creative ways to organize volunteers. We're hearing that organizations need to be more sensitive to involving clientele in developing volunteer strategies.
The Volunteer Action Center, an arm of Roanoke's Council of Community Services, has estimated that the Roanoke Valley has a volunteer force of 95,000.
The Roanoke County Department of Social Services lost much of its thriving volunteer recruitment effort four years ago when a volunteer coordinator position was eliminated due to budget constraints.
Sixteen months ago, Susan Stevens called about volunteer work. Her call helped bring a dwindling department effort "off the back shelf," said Ellen Groff, a senior social worker.
Several staffers formed a volunteer team to rejuvenate a much-needed effort. Since then, a volunteer base that includes college students, retirees and corporate employees has given 2,500 hours of volunteer work to the department, Groff said.
"Most of the folks who work with us do in-house stuff, helping with clerical work, paperwork," Groff said. "We have a huge policy manual that's constantly getting updates. Our workers don't have time to do it, so we have one lady who comes in once a week to update everyone's manual for them."
"Volunteers are a great value to those who are less fortunate than ourselves" Groff said.
For Stevens, it is more than that. Stricken with multiple sclerosis three years ago, Stevens, 45, had to quit her full-time job as an executive secretary for MCI Telecommunications Corp. in Atlanta.
Stevens returned home to Salem. After a year of therapy she was ready to work again but knew full time was too much. She turned to volunteer work.
"I was lonely, extremely bored, depressed," Stevens said. "I felt I had no reason or purpose to get up.
"But this makes me feel good."
by CNB