DATE: Saturday, November 15, 1997           TAG: 9711150315

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B4   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY LORRAINE EATON, STAFF WRITER 

DATELINE: NORFOLK                           LENGTH:   63 lines

VOLUNTEER GROUP TO HELP YOUTHS; MORE YOUNGSTERS LENDING A HAND

Some good news and some bad news has driven the area's 40-year-old volunteer clearinghouse to adopt a new focus: youths.

``We're getting serious about youths and youth projects,'' Volunteer Hampton Roads Executive Director Elizabeth B. Lloyd said Friday. ``Our goal is to mobilize people and resources to meet critical needs of youths in our community.''

Lloyd, who was appointed to her post this week, is leading the change with the blessing of the organization's board of directors. What it means to area youths is more volunteer opportunities and more volunteer organizations working to meet their needs.

Local teen volunteers praised the effort.

``I think that both age groups will learn something from this,'' said Tessa Day, a senior at Granby High School and a volunteer.

Forty years ago, Volunteer Hampton Roads started, mostly matching volunteers with nonprofit organizations. Today, it is one of 400 volunteer centers in the country, and the only one serving all of South Hampton Roads.

The good news that drove the organization to change gears included increased numbers of phone calls from young people who wanted to volunteer.

``Some high schools require volunteering to graduate,'' Lloyd said. ``But also we're seeing more kids getting out there, volunteering on their own.''

In fact, volunteerism among Hampton Roads high school seniors increased from 27 percent in 1993 to 44 percent in 1997, according to The Virginian-Pilot's annual survey of graduating seniors.

Lloyd said some organizations such as homeless shelters and hospices already are responding to this increasing pool of younger volunteers and that her organization will be seeking more avenues for youthful helpers.

``Obviously, the call to action from the (Presidents' Summit for America's Future) in Philadelphia also encouraged us,'' said Lloyd. The agency is now working through the South Hampton Roads Alliance for Youth to address the five goals of the national summit, including developing mentors, providing safe havens, ensuring healthy starts in life, equipping kids with job skills, and encouraging youths to volunteer.

The bad news that drove the change isn't really news at all. Chronic problems with juvenile crime, drug and alcohol abuse, dropout rates, teen pregnancy and other social problems all played a part.

``There are so many issues now that are affecting kids,'' Lloyd said, adding that several United Way agencies also will be focusing on youths in the coming years to address these issues.

The volunteer organization will continue to serve the entire community, Lloyd said. But family activities and intergenerational services, such as seniors mentoring youths, will get increased attention.

Already there are signs of the shift at Volunteer Hampton Roads. The theme of the agency's annual awards banquet, an affair that many corporate donors attend, is ``Connecting Our Youth to a Better Future.'' Lloyd hopes that it will serve as a ``springboard to action.''

In addition, the organization has added AmeriCorps volunteer Alicia Holloway to the staff. She will train students from Old Dominion University, Norfolk State University and Tidewater Community College to mentor area elementary school students in reading.

Lloyd expects to keep the focus on youths for the next few years, and the organization will be tracking the community's progress.

``What we want to see is the difference that it has made,'' Lloyd said.

``It's not enough anymore to say, `We've served this amount.' We have to look at what difference it made in the child's life.''

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