DATE: Wednesday, July 16, 1997              TAG: 9707150106

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B3   EDITION: FINAL 
COLUMN: NEIGHBORHOOD EXCHANGE

TYPE: PUBLIC LIFE

SOURCE: BY MIKE KNEPLER, STAFF WRITER 

                                            LENGTH:   61 lines

VETERAN VOLUNTEER HAS IDEAS FOR OTHERS

Volunteering came so naturally to M. Baxter Vendrick Jr. that he didn't even know he was doing it.

All he knew, as a 6-year-old, was that he was having fun entertaining residents of a nursing home where his grandmother lived.

``I would dance around with all the old people, and I would spend just literally hours and hours on end,'' he recalled. ``I don't know how many girlfriends I had who were above the age 80 who would buy me stuff every time I came in.''

Now 21 and a rising senior at Hampden-Sydney College, Vendrick is encouraging other young people to volunteer. The Norfolk native and 1994 Granby High School graduate is co-chairman of the Virginia Youth Service Council.

``Kids today, they're motivated, but there are so many different things out there . . . to compete with,'' Vendrick said, noting sports, music, dating, TV and computers.

Vendrick offers a few ideas: Tasks should be meaningful, not busy work; there can be an educational side, but don't lecture down to kids; and projects should include some fun or time for socializing. ``If I know a bunch of girls are going,'' he said, ``well, let's face it . . . ''

Adults should commend youngsters for genuine accomplishments, Vendrick said. In the sixth grade, he was part of a Kiwanis-sponsored anti-litter campaign that earned neighborhood recognition.

``That made us feel we were actually accomplishing something,'' he said. ``We were doing something other than messing around in school. We were being productive.''

Communities should appreciate the importance of informal service, such as helping elderly neighbors, not just organized efforts, he said.

``The main thing is getting people to see what they've accomplished, even if it's seeing the smile on someone else's face,'' he said. ``It's owning a piece of what's around you, not in a physical sense but in a spiritual sense.''

And Vendrick has strong advice on how not to inspire kids: Don't make volunteerism mandatory, even for high school graduation.

He admits a change of heart on the issue, having once supported mandatory volunteerism. Other members of the Virginia Youth Service Council convinced him that he was as wrong as many politicians.

``It's a very rewarding experience, but think about the means to get to that end,'' he said. ``Strongly encouraged, yes! But mandatory? No . . . I mean, the governor doesn't have to do it.''

The Youth Service Council plans to add regional councils, including in Hampton Roads.

Vendrick is excited. Among the benefits, regional councils will give diverse groups of young people a chance to work in unison. ``If the politicians see that,'' he said, ``then they might ask, `Why can't we?' '' MEMO: For more about the Youth Service Council, call M. Baxter

Vendrick Jr., 588-9113, or the Office of Volunteerism, 1-800-638-3839.

Ideas for this column? Call Mike Knepler, 446-2275. ILLUSTRATION: Photo

M. Baxter Vendrick Jr.

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