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Decades of volunteering still bring joy and satisfaction for Senior Corps-RSVP Members

2018 August 2
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by HandsOn Suburban Chicago

There are several reasons people continue to volunteer at a facility for over twenty-five years: They love the place. They love the staff. And, most of all, they love the people they support.

Senior Corps-RSVP members Marilyn Hermann (left) and June Wulfert are still going strong after more than 25 years volunteering at Lutheran Home in Arlington Heights.

Just ask Senior Corps-RSVP volunteers Marilyn Hermann and June Wulfert who have a combined 50-plus years of serving at the Lutheran Home for senior living in Arlington Heights. Both have found so many ways to contribute-by engaging with residents through one-on-one visits, setting up group chat sessions, or assisting with entertainment events. They even create crochet and quilt items for the gift shop.

Inspired by her grandmother and mother, both of whom had volunteered at the Lutheran Home when it was known as the Altenheim Home, Marilyn began serving the home in 1982. She started with redesigning flower arrangements leftover from events, which were then redistributed throughout the building. When her mother became a resident in 1994, Marilyn visited regularly, and before long she made friends with others in the home as well. Now, she brightens the days for residents in assisted living, skilled nursing, adult day services and memory loss sections. They all see her as a friend and some consider her a member of the family.

From Tuesday through Saturday, Marilyn leads many of them in activities such as quilting, conversation groups and mind bender games. For conversation groups, she’ll arrive with an agenda-usually subjects related to recent newspaper stories, but avoiding politics-and finds that after a few minutes, the participants often go off on another tangent. Yet, as she says, “It’s so neat when you get them chatting.”

She gears all activities according to residents’ interests and abilities, but those in the memory loss section give her a special joy as they smile up at her when she brings food, introduces games, shows up in costume or plays music.

It doesn’t stop there. Marilyn is often on hand to host events such as the Advent Tea, ice cream socials and fashion shows. At Christmas time, she takes on the role of Mrs. Santa Claus and helps “Santa” when he makes his rounds handing out goodies for the residents and the children at Shepherd’s Flock, the Home’s child day-care facility. When she’s not at the Home, she works behind the scenes, making dish towels (the kind with a quilted top for hanging over handles) for sale in the Lutheran Home Gift Shop. So far, she’s created over 2,300 of them.

What does she enjoy most about her time spent with residents at the Lutheran Home? “I love how they smile when they see me,” Marilyn says. “When I leave, they ask ‘When are you coming back?’ When I arrive home in the late afternoon I’ll often tell my husband, ‘I’ve had the best day.'”

June Wulfert modestly refers to herself as “Marilyn’s sidekick,” but it’s clear that her contributions over the years have been invaluable to the Lutheran Home’s purpose as well. Over the past 25 years, she’s worked with the residents on crafts, quilting and even record keeping and updating bulletin boards. Most of her time is spent setting up and serving for Marilyn’s weekly chat groups. For the residents who may enjoy crocheting or knitting, but have limited skills, June assists them and sees herself as a “set of hands for those whose hands don’t work as well anymore.” Her crocheting and knitting talents are also evident in the Lutheran Home Gift Shop. As with Marilyn, she also creates many of the quilted-top dish towels with the crocheted handles. June enjoys interacting with the Home’s residents, and finds that friendships evolve over the years. Residents who may have started in one section may be transferred to a different nursing area but June is still there for them. “There’s always a need for people like us,” she said.

Lutheran Home volunteer manager Beth Gauthier says of both ladies, “Their years of service to our residents has been a blessing.  Everything they do here is wrapped up in kindness…Both have been a wonderful resource for me and have been able to answer any question I have.”

For those who might consider volunteering at the Lutheran Home or similar facilities, both ladies advise, “Come with an open mind and heart and be ready to feel special.”

Written by Janet Souter, Senior Corps-RSVP Member

If interested in volunteering at Lutheran Home, here are two of the many opportunities available for you: 

The General Store

Resident Transportation Companion

from → Senior Volunteer, SeniorCorps - RSVP, Volunteerism

HandsOn Suburban Chicago Helps Wheeling Middle Schoolers Give Back to Homebound Seniors

2018 July 2
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by HandsOn Suburban Chicago

HandsOn Suburban Chicago (HOSC) led a service learning project for seventh and eighth grade students at London Middle School in May. The students learned about the issues of senior isolation and then created jars filled with candy and positive messages that were donated to homebound seniors that can be opened and read every day.

The jars were donated to recipients of Meals on Wheels programs in Wheeling and Maine townships through Catholic Charities Community Development and in Des Plaines through the Des Plaines Frisbie Senior Center, an HOSC community partner. Over 400 sixth and seventh graders at London created 121 jars filled with 3800 pieces of candy and 1380 handwritten messages of encouragement and kindness.

The jars were well received by the staff and seniors with one recipient writing back, “Many thanks to all the students at Jack London Middle School sending the jars of candy with all the with the cheerful wishes wrapped around each piece. It was fun to open each candy and read the notes. It brought a smile to my face and the candy brought a smile to my tummy. Thank You!”

HOSC is excited to team up with the school again next year to complete four more service learning projects that benefit surrounding communities.

from → RSVP, Schools and Youth, SeniorCorps - RSVP, Volunteer Impact, Youth, Youth Volunteering

Senior Corps-RSVP Member providing hope to children through international and intergenerational programs

2018 June 26
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by HandsOn Suburban Chicago
Once a year Senior Corps-RSVP member, Walt Riesing, travels with doctors, nurses and related medical personnel to remote and poverty-stricken areas in Haiti. There they set up relief centers to treat injuries, distribute food packs, fill prescriptions and organize games for the children.
A few months ago he used this experience as a way to connect with students in the Intergenerational Pen Pal Program of Senior Corps-RSVP of Northern Cook and Northern DuPage Counties. Participating Senior Corps-RSVP members exchange letters with students in the third to fifth grades. It’s a way for children to have another adult in their lives and an opportunity for adults to learn what children are experiencing in today’s world.
Walt, who prefers to be called Corky, corresponds with a fifth grader at Tarkington School in Wheeling, Illinois. In connection with Black History Month, Corky saw an opportunity to give the student a short history lesson in his letter. He mentioned how the Haitians centuries ago had been slaves of the French but overthrew the government and became the first nation established by slaves. To make the student aware of the poverty and living conditions in other parts of the world, Corky went on to describe how most people on that small island lack proper medical care and live in dirt-floor huts with no plumbing or electricity.

Senior Corps-RSVP member Walt Riesing (left) with Haitian team

Corky is also a tutor with Lunch Buddies, a tutoring program of HandsOn Suburban Chicago and Senior Corps-RSVP. Corky works with students at two other elementary schools during their lunch hour. He helps them with their studies but more often serves as a mentor, listening to what is happening in their lives and sometimes providing guidance. “Boys need a male in their lives,” he said, “so it may involve nothing more than talking, playing games or going outside and playing soccer.”

Corky doesn’t stop there. He finds great joy in all his volunteer efforts, but one of his favorites is working with Rainbow Hospice engaging in comfort care-offering solace to a dying patient-or respite care-giving relief to 24-hour caregivers.
In all these areas-aiding the disaster victims in Haiti, establishing mentoring relationships with students who need guidance and comforting hospice clients and their families-he finds that the “more time you spend with all these people, the more hope you have. What I do is no big deal. I’ve been truly blessed in my life.”
Written by Janet Souter, Senior Corps-RSVP Member

from → Senior Volunteer, SeniorCorps - RSVP, Volunteerism

Senior Corps-RSVP of HandsOn Suburban Chicago Honors Local Volunteers at Annual Member Recognition Brunch

2018 May 16
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by HandsOn Suburban Chicago

For Immediate Release:

Arlington Heights, IL, May 16, 2018 – One hundred seventy volunteers representing 62 local agencies will gather at the Metropolis Ballroom in Arlington Heights on Thursday, May 16, 2018 to be recognized for outstanding service in their communities. The First Bank of Highland Park, the Corporation for National and Community Service, the Korean Cultural Center of Chicago, the Sion Club, and the HandsOn Suburban Chicago Board of Directors are sponsoring the brunch.

The volunteers are largely members of Senior Corps-RSVP of Northern Cook and Northern DuPage counties which is sponsored by HandsOn Suburban Chicago. Senior Corps-RSVP one of the largest volunteer networks in the nation for people 55 and over and has been engaged in this area for 46 years.

Local Senior Corps-RSVP members, including those not in attendance, have given 75,000 hours of volunteer service this past year to nonprofits, schools, and local governments. The members provided assistance with transportation, meal delivery, healthcare, tax preparation, home repair, and adult and youth education in addition to fulfilling many other community needs.

“This is an event that all of us at HandsOn Suburban Chicago look forward to each year. It’s a time to recognize and thank all of you that give so much back to our communities by volunteering.” said Jordan Friedman, Executive Director of HandsOn Suburban Chicago.

About HandsOn Suburban Chicago

HandsOn Suburban Chicago (HOSC) positively impacts communities by connecting people to enriching volunteer experiences. It serves over 150 nonprofits in 44 communities, making over 6,500 volunteer connections over the past year. HOSC sponsors Senior Corps-RSVP of Northern Cook and Northern DuPage counties and also runs a number of school tutoring and mentoring programs, utilizing the power of volunteers to help keep disadvantaged youth on track to graduate high school.

 

Two hundred people attended this year’s annual Senior Corps-RSVP Member recognition brunch in Arlington Heights.

 

Press Contacts:

Jordan Friedman
Executive Director
HandsOn Suburban Chicago
847-228-1320 X 111
jordan@handsonsuburbanchicago.org

Carolyn Roberts
Project Director, Senior Corps-RSVP
HandsOn Suburban Chicago
847-228-1006 X 114
carolyn@handsonsuburbanchicago.org

from → Press Release, RSVP, SeniorCorps - RSVP

Senior Corps Week Spotlight on Service: RSVP member brings Pen Pals program to Wheeling elementary school

2018 May 2
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by HandsOn Suburban Chicago

When Janet Isaacman, a Senior Corps-RSVP volunteer tutor at Tarkington Elementary School in Wheeling, learned about the new Senior Corps-RSVP Pen Pals Program, she saw an opportunity for the school’s fourth and fifth graders to improve their writing skills as well as their grades.

Janet Isaacman, a Senior Corps-RSVP member who volunteers as a Pen Pal and tutor.

Pen Pals volunteers write to third-, fourth- or fifth-grade students (one school in Palatine, the other in Des Plaines) and the children write back. It’s a way for children to have another adult in their lives through letters, and an opportunity for adults to learn what children are experiencing in today’s world. Janet became so engaged in Pen Pals, that she suggested the program to the Tarkington School principal and fifth grade teacher. Because she had a long-time positive relationship with them they were open to hearing about it. The main selling point-kids would actually gain experience in writing letters.

Janet didn’t stop there. She recruited adult volunteers for the program and they in turn found other letter writers. One of the main selling points is that the Pen Pals only commit to about an hour or two a month. At the end of the school year the “pals” meet face-to-face for the first time to work on a project together, or have lunch.

In both tutoring and the Pen Pals program, Janet enjoys children’s honesty and their willingness to share their true feelings. “No games,” she says. “Nobody is trying to impress anyone…What they think is what they say.”

She often challenges the students to reach a higher level of thinking than merely giving simple answers on the material they’ve read, by posing thought-provoking questions.

“We have book discussions,” she explained. “I ask questions such as ‘What would you ask the author if you met them?’ or ‘If you could change the title of the book what title would you give it?'”

She’s been tutoring second and fourth grade students for the past eight years, four hours a day, two days a week. It’s the rewards that keep her going. She has students with autism, extreme shyness or difficult home situations. Yet through her efforts to guide and focus on their fears and anxieties, she has managed to help improve their grades and also builds up close relationships with them. She sees herself more as a mentor than a tutor.

Carolyn Roberts, Senior Corps-RSVP Project Director says of Janet: “She takes a very prominent leadership position behind those things for which she has tremendous passion…Janet’s passion for the overall welfare and education of children is evident. As a Senior Corps-RSVP member volunteering in the Pen Pals program, Janet’s focus is on broadening the exposure of her student Pen Pals by encouraging them to read more and learn about far-away places.”

Janet advises those interested in the Pen Pals program to remember it doesn’t take a lot of time, or even skill, but volunteers know that students will see the value of written communications. In simple and often delightful sentences, children tell about their holiday celebrations, their families and favorite subject in school. They’re interested in the lives of their adult pals too. Along the way, friendships are forged.

The best part is when Pen Pals meet in the spring, before school ends. As volunteers enter the classroom, children jump up from their seats shouting “Yay! The Pen Pals are here!” Then come greetings and hugs all around.

That’s an incentive in itself.

Click here for more information on Pen Pals.

Spotlight written by Janet Souter, Senior Corps-RSVP Member

from → RSVP, Senior Volunteer, SeniorCorps - RSVP, Volunteer Impact

Senior Corps Week Celebrates Senior Volunteers

2018 May 1
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by HandsOn Suburban Chicago

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS), the federal agency that oversees Senior Corps, will celebrate the valuable contributions made by older volunteers during the eighth annual Senior Corps Week, taking place April 29 – May 5 during Older Americans Month.

Today, Senior Corps engages approximately 220,000 Americans at 25,000 locations across the nation through its Foster Grandparent, Senior Companion, and RSVP programs. For more than five decades, Senior Corps volunteers have used their skills and experience to mentor and tutor youth, help other adults maintain independence in their homes, connect veterans and military families to services, and more.

“Americans are living longer and achieving even more,” said Deborah Cox-Roush, director of Senior Corps. “Through service, older adults are transforming society and addressing some of the toughest problems facing our nation such as fighting the opioid epidemic and rebuilding communities following disasters. I salute the Senior Corps volunteers leading these efforts and thank them for their commitment to serve their community and country,”
From administering the Senior Corps pledge to issuing proclamations, elected officials, community leaders, and organizations will honor Senior Corps volunteers at recognition events and service projects throughout the week.  

A growing body of research points to mental and physical health benefits associated with volunteering and a new study from Senior Corps builds upon this research. Preliminary findings released last summer show that after just one year of service, Senior Corps volunteers reported improved health after, including decreased anxiety and depression, loneliness and social isolation, enhanced physical capacity, and higher life satisfaction. The final study will be released in the summer of 2018.

The dedicated Senior Corps volunteers join the more than 21 million Americans 55+ who contribute more than 3.3 billion hours of service in their communities according to the annual Volunteering and Civic Life in America report by CNCS.  Their collective service provides a yearly economic benefit with an estimated value of $78 billion.

To learn more about how to become a Senior Corps volunteer or find a program in your community, visit nationalservice.gov.

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The Corporation for National and Community Service is a federal agency that engages millions of Americans in service through its AmeriCorps, Senior Corps, and Volunteer Generation Fund programs, and leads the nation’s volunteering and service efforts. For more information, visit NationalService.gov.

Re-posted from https://www.nationalservice.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2018/senior-corps-week-celebrates-senior-volunteers

Proclamation issued by Governor Bruce Rauner of the State of Illinois recognizing Senior Corps Week and the positive impact Senior Corps volunteers have on their communities throughout the state.

from → Volunteer Impact

Village of Palatine Recognizes Senior Corps-RSVP Volunteers for National Service Recognition Day 2018

2018 April 3
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by HandsOn Suburban Chicago

In honor of National Service Recognition Day, Mayor Jim Schwantz & the Village of Palatine Council presented our Senior Corps-RSVP program with a proclamation recognizing the service of Senior Corps-RSVP members who volunteer throughout the Palatine community.

Currently, there are 65 Palatine residents who are active SC-RSVP members. These members join over 650 other members who volunteer with various community partners across 44 communities in Northern Cook and Northern DuPage Counties.

Receiving the Proclamation from Mayor Schwantz (left) were Jordan Friedman, Executive Director (HOSC), Anne Wall, SC-RSVP member and volunteer with the Lunch Buddies & Pen Pal programs at Jane Addams Elementary School, Carolyn Roberts, SC-RSVP Program Director (HOSC) and Amy Molinsky, Principal at Jane Addams.

from → AmeriCorps VISTA, Mayors Day of Recognition for National Service, SeniorCorps - RSVP, Volunteer Recognition

Senior Corps-RSVP member’s skills have stretched around the world

2018 March 16
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by HandsOn Suburban Chicago

After Joyce Adomitis retired from her career as a special education teacher in 2004, she took a year to regroup and then knew it was time to do something more with her life. Giving her time to others was uppermost in her mind. Her search connected her to Warm Blankets Orphan Care (WBOC)-a group that provides for children with no family or caregivers-in Africa, Asia, Central America, and the Dominican Republic. WBOC saw her talent for compassion and her special ability to resonate with people in need.

Joyce playing cards with children during a mission trip in 2012.

“They saw something in me that I didn’t,” she said. Warm Blankets evolved into Kinship United, a faith-based organization in Rolling Meadows which serves in previously war-torn or developing countries, helping to rebuild communities who can, in turn, care for orphans and widows by creating networks of churches and rescue centers.

Since then, Joyce, a Senior Corps-RSVP member, has worn several hats, giving of herself whenever and wherever she’s needed. Over the years the needs have taken her to Cambodia, Kenya and Uganda. She integrates into the lives of local children, playing with them, taking pictures, helping to obtain medical, educational and sheltering coverage for them. In other words, skills that are never out of date. And even though Joyce doesn’t speak the language in any of the countries she visits, she’s given an interpreter, but as she says, “They know I’m speaking from the heart so we just seem to communicate.”

“In these developing countries,” Joyce explains, “many children have lost their parents or any family member able to watch over them. They are constantly in danger of being taken. They are not even allowed to travel long distances to get water for fear that they may not return. That’s why volunteers support Kinship United’s work placing children in a home or rescue center. The paper trail is established with each child’s identity, medical records, family history, etc. The whole idea is to make sure a child has support, love and care.”

Her fondest memories include times when she sees a child new to a home or waiting to come into a home during the certification process. They’re quiet and obviously scared, nervous or withdrawn. “Then I see that same child a year later,” she says “and I see a transformation from fear and lack of hope to ‘cheeky.’ They’ve blossomed.”

Kinship United’s Director of Orphan Rescue Operations, Christine Fragoso, says of Joyce: “From the moment she arrives at a Kinship home until the moment she leaves, she is surrounded by children, engaging them all with games, toys, treats, and most importantly the special attention and love she has for each and every one.”

Joyce stops for a photo with one of the children she helped care for during a mission trip.

Although her traveling is now limited, Joyce’s enthusiasm and devotion to the program hasn’t diminished. She helps at Annie’s Resale for the World in Palatine which also supports Kinship United, through its sales or by hosting fundraisers. She helps keep the shop going by doing the essentials, including cleaning, sorting or working with people in need. Her jewelry creations (Yes, she makes jewelry too!) are sold at Annie’s and these sales help pay for equipment used by Kinship’s mission programs.

Joyce was especially excited last October when Annie’s Resale for the World hosted an extremely successful fundraiser. As a representative for Kinship United, she sold $731 worth of jewelry (from her own collection and handmade). Annie had planned that the proceeds would fund a baking oven for a church home in Uganda, but that week, its large, main printer, necessary for all their outreach needs, completely broke down. They were quite alarmed. Annie’s Resale dedicated the funds to the printer rather than to an oven.

Lately, Joyce has been putting in a few hours a week at Kinship United, but if a mission trip is scheduled, then she’s there, helping mission volunteers pack, send emails, or any other necessary details for travel to a strange and sometimes difficult environment.

Joyce has a simple philosophy for anyone who volunteers: “Take a risk. Think ‘How can I make another person’s life a little better?’ I try to remember if I don’t show up, someone will be hurt.”

For those interested in serving at Kinship United, Laura Lapp, the volunteer coordinator, is asking for a volunteer who can come in once a week to help with donor relations…sending out personalized mailings and thank you notes to supporters.

If interested in volunteering with Kinship United or Annie’s Resale for the World click on the links below to get connect:

from → RSVP, SeniorCorps - RSVP, Volunteer Impact, Volunteerism

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