Volunteers in Doing for Others, Many Help Themselves

              The Times Sun., April 17,1983
Text by KATHIE COFFEY
WHY DO people volunteer?
Everybody has his own reason, but there are
a few common denominators, said Pat Gobble of the
Volunteer Services Bureau.
"People feel a need within themselves to do more than
what they are doing," Mrs. Gobble said. In a world of
mechanization, volunteer work is a "way to relieve
stress by doing something you feel personally involved
with."
There's also a very practical side to volunteering. For
young people, it's a way get a feel for a career that
interests them. Retirees can find new challenges in a dif-ferent
field.
Mrs. Gobble said the VSB has a "huge contingency of
single people" with their own unique reasons for volun-teering.
"Singles want a network with other concerned people
and want to be involved in the community," she said.
Stuck in jobs with narrow guidelines with not enough
money for entertainment, she said, they are looking for
something to do to commit themselves and at the same
time meet other people of like mind.
"We see more singles every year," Mrs. Gobble said.
"Both women and men are trying to find a way of poss-ibly
finding friends."
Mrs. Gobble also has some volunteers who are there
because the courts referred them. The VSB started a
new program in January for DWI offenders, who can be
referred for volunteer work with such agencies as
Rutherford House, YMCA, Caddo-Bossier Council on Al-coholism
and LSU Medical Center.
There are many opportunities for volunteer work on
a year-round basis. Others are seasonal, such as gar-deners
to work in the rose gardens at LSU Medical
Center.
A partial list of volun-teer
opportunities is
found below, but listings
are added frequently, so
if you don't see some-thing
that interests you
here, call the VSB for
more ideas.
• Open Ear — Volun-teers
are screened to
help work in the tele-phone
crisis intervention
program. Volunteers re-ceive
calls, provide empathetic ears, make referrals,
etc. Hours are 7:30-midnight or 1 a.m. Contact John
Purdy at 869-1228.
• Allendale Branch YWCA, 700 Pierre Ave. — Tutors
are needed from 3:30-6 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays.
Volunteers must be mature high school students or
adults. Craft aides are needed 3-5 p.m. Wednesdays to
assist in an arts and crafts program. Contact Delores
Baker at 221-4133.
• Family Violence Program, 710 Travis St. — Resi-dent
aides and child care workers are needed. Volun-teers
must be between 21 and 60 able to work 9-noon or
1-4 p.m. either Monday, Wednesday, Thursday or Fri-day.
Volunteers answer phones, give information and
agency referral to residents, offer positive emotional
support, empathy, encouragement and instruct resi-dents
to sign in and out. Volunteers must be non-judg-mental,
caring and able to relate to others. Contact Don-na
Spearman at 222-2117.
• Multiple Sclerosis Society, 3825 Gilbert — Volun-teers
are needed to visit with patients, telephone and
transport patients, and survey needs. Envelope ad-dressers
and stuffers are needed to be on call. Contact
Norma Johnson at 861-1881.
• Shriners Hospital, 3100 Samford — Volunteers are
needed in a variety of areas Monday-Saturday, day and
evening. Registrars are needed for three to four hours on
Tuesday and Thursday to work in the office. Aides are
needed in the waiting room during the same days and
hours. Copy machine operators are needed two to three
hours a week; arts and crafts leaders are needed to plan
and lead the children in an arts and crafts project at
least two or three days a week. Scout leaders are needed
to provide boys and girls with scouting programs. Bingo
players are needed to assist children 6:15-8 p.m.
Tuesdays. Woodworkers are needed to help make adap-tive
equipment for the children, and an illustrator is
needed to help educate parents concerning prostheses.
Contact Mary Olschner at 222-5704.
• Pelican Council Girl Scouts — Volunteers are
needed to work as camp promoters at schools, troop
meetings, etc. Also volunteers are needed to serve as
leaders, co-leaders and resource people. Contact Kay
Hutton at 221-8473.
In doing for others,
many help themselves
It's National Volunteer Week
This week is National Volunteer Week.
According to Pat Gobble of the Volunteer
Services Bureau, it's a time to call attention
to tae good things people do through volan-.
teerism.
^Volunteers can be recognized by aaything
from a pat on the back to banquets ia their
honor.
Those who are interested in volunteer
work can watenThe Times for lists of volun-teer
opportunities.
ArtbyDAVEIVEY
• Caddo-Bossier Association for Retarded Citizens,
351 Jordan — Volunteers are needed to serve as clerical
aides, receptionists, developmental therapy aides,
lunchtime aides, classroom aides and in a variety of
other areas. Contact Dorothy Daley at 221-8386.
• Bossier Council on Aging, 519 Barksdale Blvd. —
Help is needed with yard maintenance for senior
citizens and with Homemaker Helpers Program four
hours any day. Call 742-8993 weekdays.
• Juvenile Detention Center, 1835 Spring Street —
Volunteers are needed to teach a specific activity to the
youths being detained. People with skills in any craft,
hobby or vocation are asked to come and share their ex-pertise.
Call 226-6770.
• Juvenile Diversion, Project, First Presbyterian
Church, 900 Jordan — Volunteers interested in working
with youth and parents in a juvenile justice program are
needed. Volunteers are screened and trained. Meetings
are held the third Tuesday night each month. Contact
Suzette Kincer at 222-0604.
• Better Business Bureau, 320 Milam — Volunteers
are needed to work as membership assistants three or
four hours several days per week. The volunteer will be
aiding the BBB in developments, research, compiling in-formation,
typing, filing, etc. Volunteers must have
good vision, moderate typing skills, patience with detail
activity, performance capability of alphabetizing, abili-ty
to follow instructions, dependability and personality
to work well with others. Contact Betty Poovey at
221-8352.
O LSU Medical Center, Linwood and Kings Highway
— There are over 70 areas of volunteer work, including
clinics, gift shop, nursery, floors, clerical information,
chaplain's aides, pediatrics, obstetrics, emergency
room, and records. Two hours per week, available any
day of the week, are the minimum. Call 674-5531.
• Meals on Wheels — Drivers are needed once a
month to pick up food at a central kitchen, and deliver
food to shut-ins during the noon hour. Contact Darlene
DeMoss at 222-0759.
• American Red Cross, 4201 Linwood — Volunteers
are needed to help instruct cardiopulmonary resusci-tation
and first aid classes. Contact Lillian Campisi at
424-1432.
• Caddo-Bossier Day Care Association — Groups are
needed to plan and serve as hosts for parties and events
for the day care centers. Call 227-1812.
• Johnny Gray Jones Youth Shelter, 4815 Shed Road,
Bossier City — Volunteers are needed to teach such
skills as ceramics, sewing, macrame, aerobic dancing,
calligraphy, structured sports programs , art, and mu-sic.
Contact Sherrie Johnson at 747-1459.
• Glen Oaks Home, 1524 Glen Oak — Volunteers are
needed to help with ceramics. Contact Phyllis McNeal
at 221-0911.
• Norwela Council of Boy Scouts — Adults are needed
on the weekends to help with specific activities. Contact
Benny High at 868-2774.
• Virginia Hall Nursing Home, 2715 Virginia Ave. —
Ceramic aides are needed from 1:30-3 p.m. Tuesdays
and Thursdays. Volunteers are also needed to visit with
residents who have no family. Contact Toni Stafford at
425-3247.
• Fellowship Mission, 907 Louisiana — Clerical
workers, a receptionist and bookstore help are needed.
Call 226-6230.
• Goodwill Industries Auxiliary — Volunteers are
needed to help make crafts in the workshop from 10
a.m.-2:30 p.m. Tuesday or Wednesday. Call 869-2571.
• Christian Services Program, 700 Texas — Volun-teers
are needed to answer the telephone; repair, wrap
and sort toys; sort clothing; outfit families; do social
work; and drive on a year-round basis. Seasonal op-portunities
are also available for individuals groups.
Some homebound work is also available. Contact Sister
Margaret McCaffrey or Gloria Meyer at 221-4857.
• Highland Nursing Home, 453 Jordan — A piano
player is needed twice a month. Volunteers are also
needed to help in the arts and crafts program. Contact
John West at 222-2261.
• Veterans Administration Hospital, 510 Stoner —
Volunteers are needed to serve in all areas of the hospi-tal
seven days a week. Minimum service is a half day per
week. Contact Judy Steinfeld at 424-6024.
• Shreveport Mental Health Center, 1310 N. Hearne
— Resource persons are needed any day of the week to
share information on
hobbies, show films or
slides, teach any art or
craft, present musical
programs, conduct or
lead group sing-a-longs,
book
reviews or tell stories.
Contact Cara Smith at
227-5142.
• Physicians and Sur-geons
Hospital, 1530
Line Ave. — Volunteers
are needed to work in the gift shop or the ICU waiting
room. Hours are 9 a.m.-l p.m. or 1-5 p.m. any week day.
Contact Betty Rivet at 227-3950
• ILC-New Horizons, 306 Oekley Drive — Volunteers
are needed to help teach arts and crafts from 9:30
a.m.-l:30 p.m. any week day. Someone to teach simple
sewing and mending is also needed those hours on Fri-day.
Contact Shirley Swanson at 861-6682.
• Mothers Against Drugs, 907 Kirby — Volunteer re-ceptionists
and secretaries are needed from 9 a.m.-12:30
p.m. and 12:30-4 p.m. any week day. Contact Peter
Bunce at 222-0880.
' 9 Northwest Louisiana State School, 5401 Shed Road
— Adaptive physical education assistants are needed
for two hours between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. any week
day. Volunteers are needed to visit one hour per week on
a one-to-one basis with residents. Help is also needed
With the arts and crafts program between noon and 4:30
p.m. Tuesday or Friday. Contact Eugenia Beagley at
742-6220.
O Caddo-Bossier Council on Alcoholism, 619 Market
St. — Volunteers are needed for duties ranging from sec-retarial
to maintenance from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. week days.
Contact C.H. Rollins at 222-8511.
• YMCA — Branch YMCA's need coaches for all
youth sports on a seasonal basis. Leaders or instructors
for classes, and workers for the concession stands are
also needed. Contact Richard Rogers at 222-0186.
• Magnolia Manor Nursing Home, 1411 Claiborne
Ave. — Volunteers are needed to provide religious study
groups and church services. Contact Jan Bozman at
868-4421.
• Rutherford House, 1707 Line Ave. — Day care help
is needed Monday-Friday. Contact Eliot Knowles at
222-0222.
• Caddo Parish Schools — Classroom assistants,
reading tutors, library and resource teacher aides, mu-sic
and P.E. assistants, artists, health room assistants,
chaperones and guides for field trips are needed. Con-tact
Eva Nell Clark at 636-0210, extension 255.
• Bossier Health Care Center, 2901 Douglas — Volun-teers
are needed to help with crafts, showing movies,
serving refreshments, letter writing, exercise classes,
etc. Contact Belinda Bales at 747-2700.
VOLUNTEERS