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09, 2010 |
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Stokes Serving Others: Volunteerism is part of the bedrock of Stokes County
by Leslie Bray Evans
From "The Stokes News":
Volunteers from all over Stokes County turned out for the dinner in their honor on April 27 in Danbury.
“Volunteer: one who performs a service of one’s own free will or does charitable or helpful work without pay.”
Stokes County is full such people who give of themselves to serve others, without asking for recognition or reimbursement. Throughout the history of the county, individuals and groups have given of themselves to serve the community. But then came a key change that led to networking in the volunteer arena—the creation of a central organization, The Stokes Volunteer Center (SVC).
In 2000, Stokes Partnership for Children (SPC) and Northwest Piedmont Council of Governments Area Agency on Aging (NWPCOG/AAA) collaborated to start the SVC. Each agency also helped develop an Advisory Council made up of community agency representatives and volunteers. This council has become the board of directors for the SVC.
That same year, a start-up grant of $7,500 from the Governor’s Office was awarded to SVC. Northwest Piedmont Area Agency on Aging matched this grant dollar for dollar. In the nine years since its formation, the SVC has rapidly prospered. Their logo is a snowflake, which utilizes a design by the late Bill Johnson.
In December 2002, the SVC Advisory Council opted to collaborate with the Northwest Piedmont Council of Governments to hire a part-time employee through their Retired and Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP). A 30-hour-a-week position, with benefits, was created for the purpose of having a fully operational volunteer center.
Karen Bell Holland was officially hired for this coordinator position on June 1, 2003. She later resigned and was replaced by Susan Maxey on October 1, 2004. Maxey, who currently heads up the center at 151 Jefferson Church Road, Suite 5, in King, has seen her position blossom into a fulltime, 40-hour-a-week job, contingent upon available funding.
“Stokes Volunteer Center is contacted weekly by organizations seeking volunteer assistance as well as folks looking for volunteer service. Connections are being made and lives enhanced. New folks moving to Stokes County come here and find places to serve,” Maxey and SVC officials state.
The SVC mission statement sums up their goal: “to mobilize people and resources that provide for the development, organization and promotion of volunteerism in Stokes County, NC. The goal of the SVC is to match community members with service opportunities to enhance the quality of life in Stokes County.” Anyone interested in volunteering through the SVC can call them at 983-8643. Multiple opportunities abound at any particular time.
In 2008, 100 retired and senior volunteers joined 210 registered SVC volunteers to serve an estimated 90,400 hours of service. Highlights of the year included four recipients of the NC Outstanding Volunteer Governor’s Award, the establishment of an alternative to Suspension Youth Program, a senior camp at YMCA Camp Hanes, and two weeks of camp for Ladybugs and All About Respect groups.
Another premier player in the volunteer effort in Stokes County is the Stokes Interagency Council. This council meets each fourth Wednesday of the month at the Danbury Library at 12 noon to network, share and help each other.
Johnson, one of the most well-known volunteers in this county, began the Interagency Council. Barbara Watkins, another prominent Stokes volunteer, took on the leadership after Johnson’s death. Upon the passing of Watkins, Maxey picked up the reins of the organization. She speaks highly of the council, “It has served our county very well.”
With all of the volunteers in the county, there arose a grassroots effort to recognize them annually to let them know how appreciated their efforts were. “It all really started with our beloved Barbara Watkins,” Maxey explains. “It was her idea. She went to the commissioners and asked them to fund a yearly volunteer appreciation event.”
Watkins’ brainstorm became reality. The event she founded continues to this day. Each spring, area volunteers are celebrated and honored. This year’s commemoration was held at Hanging Rock State Park.
The park was full of people on Monday, April 27, as volunteers from all over Stokes County gathered for the appreciation dinner. West Stokes High School cheerleaders greeted the volunteers with a banner and later entertained them with a specially written cheer. Music from the Snow Creek Old Time Band wafted through the warm spring air as volunteers mingled with each other and with numerous county officials in attendance, including the county commissioners and county manager.
This All-Star Volunteer Recognition Evening was funded by the Stokes County Commissioners, although many other entities also played a role. The Stokes Interagency Council and the RSVP were two of the premier players involved. Others worked tirelessly behind the scenes to decorate, plan the program and serve the meal of grilled chicken, baked potatoes, green beans, rolls and dessert.
A special guest was on hand to address the volunteers—Ben Vernon of the Apple Foundation, a huge benefactor for Stokes County. He reminded the audience of an old Perry Como song, “Make One Person Happy and You’ll Be Happy, Too,” advising them to take that statement to heart.
Vernon told the story of being in Stokes County one day, hearing how many of the county’s not-for-profit agencies were “really hurting” for finances. That night he went to dinner at a country club where the well-to-do ladies were complaining on one side of the room, while elsewhere the wealthy men were whining about sand traps and other such troubles.
Vernon remembers being saddened by what he heard. “These people have everything,” he said to himself. “They should talk to people up in Stokes County.”
After Vernon concluded his commendation of the volunteers, Jim Chambers of the Stokes Opportunity Center sang “Amazing Grace,” with the audience joining in on the final verse. Then a couple of volunteers testified what volunteering meant to them. Sharon Harper told how her mom had been a volunteer for the Pine Hall Nutritional Center and how it was “only natural” that she should follow in her mother’s footsteps.
Harper has been doing just that for 14 years now, volunteering her services in Pine Hall to benefit others. “It has been a great benefit to me, too,” she concluded.
Next up was Peggy Roberts who is widely-known for her volunteer work with the American Red Cross and Habitat for Humanity. She described her efforts to serve the community as “a truly rewarding job.” Roberts, who had even volunteered to serve at the appreciation dinner, explained why she volunteers, “It is a need to give back to my community.”
Dick Wilson, who has volunteered for many years teaching the GED program in the county, was slated to speak next but was unable to attend the dinner due to his wife having a stroke. Paul Kindley, emcee for the evening, called Wilson “the personification of a volunteer.”
These three volunteers and the multitudes of others throughout Stokes, including those who were unable to attend the appreciation dinner, are part of the bedrock in the foundation of this county. They come together to perform unselfish service for others. This fulfills the motto of the SVC: “people connecting to people for the good of all.”
Updated: 06/03/2009 |
