A story of how she discovered that Semper Vita could help her uncover her desk again.
Harrison House, a safe hangout for teens started by a young man who understood the need for safe places, recently received additional funding. Things were going wonderfully. Of course, they could use more volunteers. Interesting how everyone wants to have a safe place for teens, but it seems virtually impossible to find people willing to volunteer, mentor and tutor. How were these teens supposed to find their way, have a safe place if it was just more of the same—a hangout without loving supervision, spiritual and moral guidance, and ways to make sense out of their confusing world?
Pam, the director, sat behind her desk. She’d just walked in and already felt three days behind. The week had just started. She needed a shift supervisor, a doctor, some health counselors, a math tutor, a ‘cool’ science tutor, some grandparents to tell stories and mentor the boys and girls, and some 20-somethings to be cool and provide peer mentoring. The list went on. She could also use a CFO and operations person to give her some advice. She smiled, in spite of her exhaustion. A wry smile. Where would these people come from? Most people didn’t even know they existed. And it really didn't seem like people cared much about these teens—except warehousing them of course. She sat down and started to check her email. She tried to ignore the state of her desk—she’d have to deal with that later. Yeah, an office manager would be nice too. She chuckled to herself, "Sure Pam, dream on!"
An Email Caught Her Eye
She quickly read through her emails. Her eye caught a notice from one of the churches that helped with lunches periodically. The subject line intrigued her: Providing Leaders, Mentors and Volunteers to Community Organizations. She had no time for this but opened the email anyway. Valley View Bible Church had joined with "Semper Vita" to provide tailored opportunities to volunteer in the community. Hmmm, so what is Semper Vita? She knew she’d regret it, but she clicked the link included in the email. It took her to the Semper Vita site. She quickly learned that this was an organization that connected people with opportunities, organizations with people, and provided training. She sent a note via the Contact Us page to learn more.
Not long after, she received a reply email. The email exchanges were informative. These people understood her needs as a non-profit director. She needed trained, committed people because she had no bandwidth to recruit, train and retrain. Her success and ability to fulfill her vision depended on a team of willing and able volunteers.
Volunteers Found
Six months later, she had several committed volunteers: some grandparents, a counselor and John. John was a regular, donating a morning a week to help her run operations. He was a CEO of his own small business and understood how to run a business. Pam knew it was working because her own desk looked a lot more peaceful. In fact, she could see the color of the wood again. A good sign!
Are you like Pam or know a Pam? We're looking for partners to provide volunteer opportunities. We encourage you to Contact Us today.
