Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, May 22, 1994 TAG: 9405260035
SECTION: SENIOR STYLE PAGE: 4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: By SARAH COX
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
According to Gerri LaManna, director of the Retired and Senior Volunteers program at the League of Older Americans, her program now reflects a federal government recognition that seniors have and can contribute a great deal toward volunteerism by helping with our country's critical issues - public safety, environment, health and human needs and education.
And although many seniors are interested in short-term projects rather than long-term commitments, the niche is perfect, because as a volunteer, "you can take vacations whenever you want," said LaManna.
LaManna's challenge is to recruit and fit her seniors to different volunteer jobs. But, LaManna said, she comes up short.
"Yes, there are definitely more volunteer activities out there than people who have come forward to fill them, simply because so many human service agencies don't have the pool of full-time homemakers to draw upon now. And society's needs have to be met by local organizations that don't have the money for staff." So, they end up relying upon volunteers, she explained.
Another change is the number of volunteer opportunities for men. Many men, said LaManna, attach value to the paycheck rather than volunteerism, and "those who have worked all their lives have to be reeducated," she said.
One factor in LaManna's favor is the growing senior population, but the challenge is to get them to volunteer. Once they start volunteering, they usually stick with it, she said. And there is evidence, she added, that those who volunteer are healthy. "I've had people say they feel better mentally and physically because they volunteer," she said.
That must mean that George and Frances Hill are in top shape. They've been to eight national disasters, in addition to driving one of the Red Cross Emergency Road Vehicles and delivering Meals On Wheels. In addition, George Hill is a volunteer chaplain at Lewis-Gale Hospital.
The eight disasters began with Hurricane Hugo in South Carolina in 1989. The Hills, Mormons, were in the midst of an 18-month volunteer duty with their church, working with the food bank and the homeless, he said, when the hurricane struck. They plugged right into the Red Cross headquarters in Orangeburg, S.C., and after that, just continued to serve disaster victims.
They were on the scene when floods and tornadoes hit Lake City, and later, Calhoun County, S.C., in 1990; after Hurricane Andrew, Homestead, Fla., 1992; and a northeaster in New Jersey, Christmas, 1992. They also helped victims of flooding in the Roanoke area in 1992, and in Iowa during 1993 flooding. They assisted victims of the California earthquakes in 1993.
"We were unencumbered. We had no small children," said George Hill. They became part of the Red Cross Disaster Response Team, which involves local training and being on-call. "We just feel that's a direct way we can be of service. Were it not for volunteerism, the Red Cross could not operate," said Hill, adding that through all the disaster relief he and his wife have offered, they meet the same seniors again and again, no matter where they are in the country. It's kind of like a club.
But, Hill said, they help for altruistic reasons, deriving direct satisfaction from disaster relief.
"It can be a pleasant experience. Some [victims] are hurt, angry and difficult to deal with. You have to be flexible with people," he said.
During the California quakes, they ran a shelter for three weeks, and catered to the diverse dietary needs of people originally from other countries, such as Thailand, Vietnam, India and Mexico. But, they came prepared: Hill said the Red Cross had given them a course in cultural diversity.
Hill estimates that four out of five national volunteers are older retirees. During Hugo in South Carolina, he said another volunteer couple celebrated their golden anniversary while volunteering. They were in their 80s. Although he said that Red Cross volunteers have to be trained, they also have to bring a certain spirit to the job.
"There is a brotherhood and sisterhood among volunteers. You're bound to gain a new appreciation for people. You don't do it for money or recognition, you do it because it's there and needs to be done," he said.
Although he said they never know when the phone will ring, when they will have to pack their bags and be on a plane the next morning, or ready to drive their emergency road vehicle to a disaster location, about 90 percent of the volunteers can respond right away.
And these seniors don't fit the frail image that many hold of retirees. Hill said that often disaster relief involves 12 to 14-hour days without a day off for weeks.
Loretta Phillips, coordinating specialist with Volunteer Services for the Red Cross, said most of her volunteers are 65-plus in age, and are in good health with many other interests.
She coordinates several hundred senior volunteers throughout Roanoke county and city, Salem, Vinton, Botetourt and Craig County area.
It's hard to believe that volunteers of this calibre actually get as much as they give, when they give so much. But Phillips cited one example that was convincing: One person, she said, recently widowed, had never so much as written a check in her life. Her husband had even done the grocery shopping for her. Now, she said, this volunteer is an inspiration to other people.
"The world would be a poorer place were it not for these people who get involved," HIll said.
by CNB