Whether you knew it or not, we recently celebrated a special week – National Volunteer Week – which was established by Points of Light, the world’s largest organization dedicated to volunteer service. The week was dedicated to inspiring, recognizing and encouraging people to seek out imaginative ways to engage in their communities.
Truthfully, we try to do that year-round at The Ivey! And there’s been a lot to celebrate here on the topic of volunteerism!
Last year, we formally established our volunteer program by calling it The Barretta Circle (named in honor of our longest-tenured volunteer, Tony Barretta). Since then, under the guidance of Program Development Coordinator Jen Olin Sexton, our volunteer team has grown to 23 amazing individuals! That’s over 600% growth in our team of generous volunteers!
During a typical day at The Ivey, we’ll have two or three volunteers join us for 1 – 4 hours each. Sometimes a volunteer will lead something as specific as a weekly golf breakout group for men. Others will pitch in on a more general basis, like helping out in the kitchen, working with our sales and marketing team, or simply spending time with our members individually or in small groups.
Put simply, our volunteers are crucial to The Ivey model. The more people we have on deck, the more we can keep our members active and stimulated, especially in relation to each person’s specific cognitive ability. Our care team is already amazing, but our merry band of volunteers makes them supersonic!
One of the beautiful things about giving of your time is that you can choose a cause or activity that you already enjoy. Not only does it make the recipient happy, but you’re doubling the amount of happiness that you receive! Giving to Others + Sharing What You Love = Unbridled Joy!
We are continuing to grow The Barretta Circle, and we would LOVE for you to consider joining! Perhaps you have a little free time in your week and have been looking for something fulfilling to do. Maybe you have kids coming home from college for the summer who are looking for some soul-feeding experience for the resume. In addition to volunteer needs, we have summer and fall internships available. Contact Jen Sexton at [email protected] for more info or to apply.
We are so grateful to each person who gives of their time and talent to help make The Ivey the incredibly special place that it is. Not only do I personally appreciate it, but so does my staff, my board, our members, and their loving families.
And…Happy Belated National Volunteer Week to you!
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