Celebrating Volunteers
Did you know that April is National Volunteer Month? ROC wouldn’t be possible without the hard work of our many volunteers. We have about 150 volunteers! They do everything from reading to kids to preparing Snack Packs to running the New Paths Redistribution Center – and so much more!
This month, ROC is showing our appreciation by featuring just a few of these amazing people. You can see them on Facebook throughout the month, so be sure to keep checking back!
ROC’s volunteers come from all different backgrounds and bring a variety of awesome skills, talents, and ideas to the table. We are happy to say that many of our volunteers are also participants who want to pay it forward and help others.
Volunteering at ROC is a special experience. It’s a chance to work with some truly inspiring people. It’s an opportunity to hear stories that will impact your life. Volunteering at ROC teaches you about how rural poverty creates barriers for people, and it shows you the ways participants are working to overcome those barriers. Volunteering at ROC proves that helping to heal the human spirit can make a huge difference in a person’s life – and that providing some of the tools for people to heal themselves can make an even bigger difference.
Today I want to share a few stories that volunteers have shared with ROC. Monica, who volunteers with the ROC’s school readiness program, started volunteering because she had always admired the work the ROC does and wanted to be a part of it. The school readiness program, where trained volunteers go into homes to work side by side with parents to prepare children for school through educational play and reading, seemed like the perfect fit for Monica. She’s formed a great relationship with the family she works with – something that has become her favorite part of volunteering.
Dina, who is the recording secretary for the Board of Directors as well as a school readiness volunteers, agrees with Monica about her favorite part of volunteering. “I love working with my little guy, who makes me laugh and cuddles with me as I read to him.” Dina says. Something else she loves? “The best part is knowing that I can share some of the positivity I experience from having a full bucket this lifetime and pour this into another family’s bucket that is less full.”
Theresa, a volunteer with the New Paths Redistribution Center, shared a story about a moment that really stood out with her throughout her many volunteer experiences at ROC. “A woman lost her house and everything in it when ice fell on a gas line and she was only able to grab her purse and get out before it exploded. She came in with very little money but she had such a great need that Rich [another volunteer] let her fill up her car with as much as she could for just a small donation and she burst into tears of gratitude.”
The ability of ROC volunteers to make a difference in the lives of our participants is equaled only by the ability of our participants to change the lives of our volunteers. ROC is proud that our volunteers and participants have formed strong partnerships – and that many of our participants are volunteers themselves!
Are you interested in becoming a valued ROC volunteer? You can contact our Program Director, Sue Giovino, at 240-2220 or get in touch with us on Facebook.
