While trying to balance careers, families and other personal obligations, many people can’t make an ongoing volunteer commitment to a nonprofit organization. They want to help their community, but they find it difficult to make a weekly commitment.
The members of Volunteers In Action (VIA) are young, time-conscious professionals who have found a way to fit community service into their busy schedules and are making a difference in many ways.
The Volunteer Center of Dallas created VIA in April 1991 to meet the community service needs of these professionals, ages 25 to 45. VIA’s mission is to provide structured, diverse volunteer opportunities, education and social interaction for its members.
Members meet bi-monthly for educational programs that focus on community issues such as low-income housing, homelessness and the environment. Members also participate in Saturday group volunteer projects with nonprofit agencies that address those issues.
“Our hope is that this ‘sampler’ approach to volunteerism will result in members’ finding volunteer work they’d like to do on a regular basis,” says Allen Bourne, VIA president.
More than 200 individuals belong to VIA, and during the past two years, they have participated in a variety of projects.
At the Dallas Life Foundation, a Downtown shelter, VIA members peel potatoes, bake biscuits and cook stew for hundreds of homeless men, women and children. Members also sort items in the clothing closet and organize the shelter’s library.
Renovation projects are favorites of VIA members because they can see the results of their hard work. Recently, VIA worked with the City’s “People Helping People” program to repair the home of an elderly woman.
They also spent a day working at a South Dallas youth center. The “I Am That I Am Training Center” provides tutoring, food, clothing and encouragement to children ages 3 to 17, many of whom come from homes affected by alcoholism, drug addiction, neglect and abuse.
With the help of some children served by the Center, VIA members repainted the building’s exterior. What once was dull gray is now bright white with red trim.
“Seeing these kids and working side by side with them on the Center was a touching experience,” says VIA member Bonnie Rainey.
“I enjoyed helping an agency that is doing so much to make a difference in these children’s lives.”
VIA’s service projects don’t always entail cooking and cleanup. Last spring, members volunteered at a Special Olympics district competition for mentally and physically disabled adults and children. Volunteers escorted athletes to their races, cheered them on as they moved down the track and hugged them as they crossed the finish line.
“If you’re the type of person who enjoys helping others but has only a small amount of time to give, VIA may be just the organization for you,” says Sam Hart, founding member and past president of VIA.
Membership is $35 per year and entitles members to a VIA T-shirt and a bi-monthly newsletter listing upcoming events and community information. Members also are encouraged to use other Volunteer Center services such as individual referrals and the SkillBank.
For more information about VIA, call Tracy Schick at the Volunteer Center, 826-6767.
Volunteer Opportunities
The Volunteer Center is a United Way agency that serves as a clearinghouse to recruit and refer volunteers for more than 750 agencies in Dallas. Thousands of volunteer positions are waiting to be filled. Call the Volunteer Center, 826-6767, for more information about these and other volunteer opportunities.
SPRING IS IN THE AIR, and the Dallas Arboretum needs volunteers for its annual spring festival to serve as garden guides, provide information to visitors, and guide tours of the historic DeGolyer house. Volunteers are needed March 6-April 11 from 10 a.m.-6 p.m.
HIT THE ROAD, and help cancer patients get the treatment they need. The American Cancer Society needs volunteers to drive patients to medical appointments weekdays from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Give a small amount of time, and make a big difference in someone’s life.
SHARE YOUR MUSICAL TALENTS with seniors at the Buckner Retirement Home in East Dallas. Volunteer piano players are needed to accompany residents during daytime or evening sing-alongs. Volunteers also are needed to give residents manicures and to use the center’s truck to assist with daytime grocery shopping.
