VOLUME IV – The Agent of Volunteerism

Dear South Jersey,

It was an eventful week for the Do-Gooder’s Diary. I got a chance to visit with both the United Way office in Rancocas and the Medford Arts Center in downtown Medford. More on the MAC later… I’m here to talk about what I call “The Agent of Vounteerism,” – the United Way (www.uwburlington.org).

First things first, I’d like to congratulate the United Way and my former employer the Ravitz Shop Rites for just completing their coat drive, which raised more than 2500 coats for Burlington and Camden County residents. Again, just another remarkable cause!

So, why do I call the United Way “The Agent of Volunteerism?” Well, it’s not difficult to see how many other organizations the firm is partnered with. I was shocked when I learned of the huge network the United Way has built in South Jersey, and the world.

I met with the marketing director Kara Thornton of the Burlington County office last Tuesday. She gave me some great bullet points of some of their best programs.

First, the United Way operates off of a few simple standards… (from their brochures and website):

Give

“The workplace campaign is the easiest and most powerful way to invest in your community. Yoru contribution will ensure we can continue to bolster the three building blocks of a good life: Education, Income and Health.”

Advocate

“You can make change with your voice. Get informed. Tell your friends. Write a letter to the editor. United Way needs people who are passionate about education, income and health to make some noise. Sign up on our website for our e-newsletter to keep informed!”

Volunteer

“United Way works with volunteers and local nonprofits to develop the best opportunities for youth, busy working adults and seniors. Aside from our website, please also visit www.volunteermatch.org for more opportunities.”

Along with all of that, the United Way bases its philosophy on three “building blocks” of a strong community: Education, which helps children and youth achieve their potential; Income, which promotes financial stability and independence; and Health, which improves peoples overall well-being.

Most astounding for me were the public awareness programs, like www.newjersey211.org, which is an informational help line and website, or Code Blue, through FEMA, where volunteers go through the county and collect all of the homeless people and take them to shelters on very cold nights.

With only about ten paid staff members at the Burlington County office and nearly 1500 volunteers, the United Way is making a huge difference in our area.

The United Way is linked so strongly with other volunteer organizations in the area that I simply cannot “volunteer” for them. So, the United Way will help me as a volunteer “agent” and give me fresh ideas for great opportunities to help the community and make you all aware of the benefits and hardships of these programs.

Some of the programs the United Way will be connecting me with:

Education:

Burlington County Community Action Program (www.bccap.org) - Helps low-income residents move toward self-sufficiency. Programs include: Head Start Centers, housing crisis, homeless prevention, energy conservation and crisis intervention.

Income:

Occupational Training Center of Burlington County (www.otcbc.org) - Comprehensive vocational rehabilitation and training programs for the mentally, physically and socially handicapped residents of Burlington County.

Moorestown Ecumenical Neighborhood Development (www.mendinc.org) - Dedicated to providing decent affordable rental housing for low and moderate income families, senior citizens and the handicapped/disabled in critical need.

Health:

The Tender - Day center for persons with Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia; support group for caregivers; transportation to medical appointments for homebound seniors.

Interfaith Hospitality Network of Burlington County (www.nihn.org) - United outreach by the religious community in Burlington County to provide shelter, meals and assistance to homeless families.

Stay tuned next week for more information on the Medford Arts Center and an update on all of these great programs!

Yours,

Kevin Haslam

VOLUME III – Not your typical volunteerism

Dear South Jersey,

I just had to check in with you guys!

When I first started planning for this blog and this venture, I had a concrete idea of where I wanted to go with it in mind. I wanted to feature the local organizations that you, Burlington County, can get involved with. I wanted to lend my own helping hand to these organizations and paint a picture for you, the people, the future volunteers, so that you would know some of the good and not-so-good things about taking on certain volunteer opps.

But then I saw it from a different angle…

I realized that my idea of volunteering was a tadpole in the Atlantic Ocean. There are truly so many ways of volunteering, and it only took a few moments in my daily life to realize it.

As a freelance writer, I get to cover a lot of different things for a lot of different venues. One of my occasional opportunities comes with a sister group of South Jersey Local News called Bucks Local News (www.buckslocalnews.com).

This past Sunday, I was asked by sports editor Steve Sherman to attend a local swimming fundraiser called Pennsbury SPLASH, which is hosted by one of Bucks County’s club swimming teams for kids up to the age of 12. From this experience, I got to see how dedicated our role models in life can be to a cause.

Parents, coaches and just people in general – 150 people to be exact – donated their time to make sure the near-500 kids had the time of their lives. The event was held at The College of New Jersey. It’s not often that kids get a chance to swim in a college facility.

A few notable excerpts from my article… (Quotes from: Club President George Keehfuss and Meet Director Yvonne Cappiello-Pastor).

“This is about making a commitment to something and sticking to it,” Keehfuss said of the club’s philosophy. “It’s about coming out for practice on time. I don’t know if every kid here is going to become an Olympic swimmer someday, but I know that they can take something out of this program that they can take with them for the rest of their lives. That carries you on for the rest of your life in anything you want to be and that makes you a successful person.

The kids get something out of it, too, as many of them have their best performances of the year.

“Really, it’s about them in their hearts, because, when they beat their own time, they won’t be as thrilled when they beat an opponent, but when they beat their own time it’s a huge accomplishment. It’s like a runner trying to beat a five minute mile,” Cappiello-Pastor said.

Overall, the message resonates that this club cares about its participants: the kids.

“I’m not here for me,” Keehfuss said. “I’m not here to build my ego. Everyone’s here for one main common goal and it’s the kids. It’s the only reason I come to this event. I want to give back to this community and make sure these kids get an opportunity. That’s what our program is built on. We want to give kids opportunities. That’s what Dean wants to do so these kids can move on to big schools, and that’s something we never did here, before. I want this to be where kids get better opportunities to further themselves in life, and what better place to do it than in the pool?”

My girlfriend and I were visiting friends in Washington D.C., that weekend, and I made a last second commitment to attend the event, and what a great event to have gotten the opportunity to attend. I essentially drove from D.C. to her house in Phoenixville, Pa, and then from her house to the event in Ewing, N.J., getting a traffic citation along the way. It was all worth it.

The people I met at SPLASH were wonderful people that cared about their own kids, and the kids of hundreds of other parents. They opened my eyes to how wonderfully passionate a sport swimming is. Mind you, things like this are happening everywhere.

Also, in my travels, I work as a Sports Editor for Cinnaminson Patch (http://cinnaminson.patch.com). Just the other day, I got a chance to interview a retired police officer by the name of Denny Chesney. He and his family are VERY involved in Pop Warner athletics.

Chesney has coached kids since the 1970s, including some semi-successful pro players in Derek Holloway (Washington Redskins, Tampa Bay Buccaneers) and Topper Clemons (Dallas Cowboys). He is now the head coach of Cinnaminson’s Pop Warner 90-pound football team.

His son just joined the Air Force Reserve, his first daughter is on the varsity cheer squad at Cinnaminson High School in only her sophomore year, and his youngest daughter will be honored on Friday for Pop Warner cheering and outstanding academics. Oh, and did I mention his wife is an advisor to the Pop Warner cheerleaders?

A few excerpts from that article…

Chesney truly believes that Cinnaminson Pop Warner is the best in Burlington County, attributing Commissioner Mark Rapp as the “Buddha” of Pop Warner sports in Cinnaminson.

Overall, the life skills learned from the Pop Warner program are something that Chesney hopes that all kids can experience.

“It makes them better people. It makes them better kids. They’re all good kids to begin with, but it helps them with their personalities, and in school. It’s something that’s needed. It’s something a community needs.”

The underlying message, Burlington County? Being a parent doesn’t end at raising your kids – it’s growing with the community… it’s volunteering to aid with other people’s kids… it’s showing the public that you are responsible and that you care…

These people I have met are beautiful people. But, to tell you the truth… there are so many more, with stories similar to, but so very different from their tribulations as parents and volunteers.

So, I cannot blog about volunteerism without tipping my hat to you, the parents of New Jersey. You are the reason for our confidence, our success, our love.

For Mom and Dad… Without you, I am nothing.

Yours,

Kevin Haslam

VOLUME II – Welcome to 2011!

Dear South Jersey,

Well, I know it is a little cliché, but I have to ask… What’s your New Year’s Resolution? For some, it may be to drop that extra weight after a stressful and grueling holiday season. For others, it may be to finally open that business you’ve been thinking about. There are even some people that don’t want to go near a New Year’s Resolution, because of its connotation or because of miserable past experiences.

Whatever it may be, I wish you the best of luck in your endeavors for 2011!

But, I know, simply from a little bit of feedback from Volume I, that some of you will be joining me on my journey to explore the world of volunteerism.

A warning to the impatient… You ever hear that slogan… “Good things come to those who wait?”

Well, it’s partially true. If you’re jobless or without a passionate and fulfilling relationship in your life, I wouldn’t suggest waiting around until it falls into your lap. That’s not the way the world works. However, if you are proactive and stay on top of your tasks, and can be patient in waiting for people to find time for you, you will have much success.

You see, as I’ve begun my trek, I certainly am finding that it is not easy.

With wide eyes and an open heart, I began calling and e-mailing volunteer organizations throughout the South Jersey region shortly after writing Volume I. Unfortunately, the business of the holidays brought me some unfortunate luck in not being able to find the right people to speak to. However, I did receive an overwhelming response within the next two weeks.

Therefore, despite the fact that I’m starting two weeks later than I wanted to, I must say that the organizations I’ve already spoken with have been quite accommodating to my itinerary. So, without further ado, I’d like to introduce you to our first trip inside the tummy of one of Burlington County’s largest philanthropic organizations… The United Way!

On Jan. 18 I will be visiting the Burlington County branch to meet with the marketing director, Kara Thornton, the president Bruce Conway and the director of community impact, Dawn Rademan. Ms. Thornton has been of much help to me, and explains the United Way as a yearly campaign that raises $5 million for various partner agencies and programs throughout the county.

Wait a minute… Did I just say $5 million just for Burlington County? Yes. Yes, I did.

“The money raised stays here!” Thornton said. The entire campaign is volunteer run, which means that almost 1500 volunteers can be working at one time, in the busier months.

Personally, the United Way is a special cause for me, as my lovely and charming girlfriend of over two years was heavily involved with the campaign in Pennsylvania throughout October and November of 2010. She opened my eyes to what a solid team of people can do to help. So, when I was able to book the United Way as my first volunteer opp for The Do-Gooders’ Diary, I thought, “What better way to break in this project?!”

So, stay tuned, because on Jan. 22, you’ll get to hear all about it!

In other related news, here are some of the other organizations I’ll be hitting up in the near future:

The Medford Arts Center (www.artsinmedford.org) – Medford, N.J. – [First visit Jan. 20]

YMCA Camp Ockinickon (www.ycamp.org) – Medford, N.J. – [First Visit Jan. 31]

The Yellow Ribbon Club (www.yellowribbonclub.org) – Marlton, N.J.

Paws Farm Nature Center (www.pawsfarm.com) – Mount Laurel, N.J.

Woodford Cedar Run Wildlife Refuge (www.cedarrun.org) – Medford, N.J.

Make sure you find me on Facebook, and please feel free to e-mail me at kjhaslam@gmail.com. If you are a volunteer organization that would like to be featured, please contact me via e-mail. Thanks and stay warm and safe in the snow!

Yours,

Kevin Haslam