Serving Our Seniors

According to recent US Census Bureau data, just over a quarter million Las Vegans are age 60 and above.  State officials have also hypothesized that this area of our population will continue to substantially grow over the next ten years as seniors make the move to the region.  This makes sense for a state with relaxed personal tax laws for a population that is living on limited income.  However, sometimes this isn’t enough.  Sometimes the fixed income is stretched to maintain basic survival as costs of necessities such as food, transportation, and healthcare fluctuates.  This is where the Helping Hands of Vegas Valley steps in.

In its eleven year existence, the organization has dedicated itself to caring for the growing senior population.  Services offered include wheelchair transportation, volunteer transportation, respite care vouchers, and a food pantry.  This past Saturday, a few friends, along my son and I, were granted an opportunity to assist the Helping Hands of Vegas Valley with their food delivery effort, dubbed Pantry Pals.

We arrived at the organization by 8:00 AM.  After a quick word from the director, we made our way through the check-in to obtain our list of clients and bags of food we would be delivering.  My son and I received nine bags of groceries and two small bags of pet food; one for a cat and one for a dog.  We got to our car and started ruffling through our client list to determine the best possible route to get the items delivered efficiently.  Lucky for us, our six clients were in the same senior living complex.  My friend, on the other hand, had four different addresses, but none were too far from the rest.

We arrived at the senior living complex by 8:45 AM.  Every delivery receipt was complete with special instructions as well, which made the process flow much smoother than it otherwise could have.  Our first delivery was to a couple who had been married a lengthy number of years.  After some small talk while my son helped place the groceries on their counter, they signed the receipt and we made our way to the car to retrieve the next delivery.  The rest of the deliveries were similar with the only differences being the activities the clients were engaged in as we arrived.  Some were watching television, others playing cards with friends.

When it was all said and done, the opportunity took us a total of an hour and a half.  However, the resulting effects of the opportunity will extend far beyond this time, for both the clients and the volunteers.  And, as the population continues to increase, I can only imagine opportunities as great as this one will become more frequent.

~Jason

If you’d like to volunteer at Helping Hands of Las Vegas Valley visit the  HHOLV Profile on the HandsOn Nevada Website. If the time/dates don’t work for you there are many other opportunities that need volunteers.  Visit the HandsOn Nevada Website at www.VolunteerCenterSN.org to find the right opportunity for you today!

Service for the Heart, Mind & Soul

Las Vegas: the city of sin, the city that never sleeps, the city of neon lights. Beyond the glitz and glamour of The Strip lies the heart of Las Vegas quite often overlooked beyond the wall of the I-15 North. Within the heart of Las Vegas there is a bright, welcoming sanctuary of peace, mercy, and refuge for the poor and homeless. This refuge of those poor and homeless seeking salvation, the Las Vegas Catholic Worker organization, provides means for the community to assist in feeding the hungry, providing shelter and sanitation for the homeless, providing monthly food distributions to families and senior citizens, and holding weekly vigils to spread the message of peace amongst humankind. Their featured project in the volunteer community, Soup for a Smile, supplies the poor and homeless with a flavorful bowl of soup and choices of garnishes, bread rolls, sweets for treats, and selections of tea, milk, and water. This volunteer activity is often featured on the HandsOn Nevada website, and is worthwhile to participate in to make a true difference in the Las Vegas community and if you are looking to brighten the light in someone’s soul and a smile to someone in need.

Soup for a Smile is a truly enriching volunteer service for the heart, mind, and soul for both the poor and homeless and the volunteers dedicating their time. Conducted Wednesdays through Saturdays at the break of dawn at 6AM in a historic neighborhood of Las Vegas, up to 200 poor and homeless members of our community can be found gathering for the Soup for a Smile program that is brought to them rather than having to come to the Catholic Worker building (although they are more than welcome to stop by there as well). They are people who come from all walks of life: all ages, all backgrounds, and all ethnicities. Each person has a story to tell, whether through their words or their eyes; one consistent trait noticed is the sudden spark of gratefulness seen in their faces, and a bond shared with those who they can trust. Reaching out to the most needed of Las Vegas’ community, Soup for a Smile is a transforming experience that has the capability to bring compassion to those who are looking to truly assist in uplifting the community from poverty.  For more information, visit http://www.lvcw.org.
~Shae
If you’d like to experience Soup and a Smile visit the HandsOn Nevada website. If the time/dates don’t work for you there are many other opportunities that need volunteers.  Visit www.VolunteerCenterSN.org to find the right opportunity for you today!

Running with the Devil

Las Vegas is no ordinary city. Given the fact that the inhabitants of an area define the culture of that area, it’s safe to say that Las Vegas residents are extraordinary as well. In fact, some residents of Las Vegas are so extraordinary that they willingly accept Calico Racing’s (http://www.calicoracing.com/) annual challenge to participate in the Run with the Devil; an event viewed as “crazy” by the typical person’s standards. As many athletes move their training programs indoors or to pre-dawn times during summer months, the Run with the Devil embraces the heat and sun and hosts the event at Lake Mead Recreational Area. Distances vary from a 5K fun run to a 50-mile ultramarathon. Start times stagger from 6:00 AM until 6:50 AM, depending on the distance you chose to challenge. And then, there’s the heat! This year’s event saw a low of 80 degrees and a high of 102 degrees. Can you imagine completing a race in this weather?!

Since safety is paramount to the race director, marathon and ultramarathon runners are required to weigh-in prior to the start and at various points throughout the race. Hydration plans must also be developed and approved by the race staff. Medical personnel are readily available to assist competitors and every aid station is equipped with ice buckets and beverages to ensure runners remain hydrated.

Having completed the Running with the Devil half-marathon distance two years ago, I knew the challenge was great, and honestly, I wasn’t up for that sort of pain again! So, a friend of mine (Ryan), and I decided to try the 10K. Our start time was 6:50 AM. The initial quarter-mile or so was a fairly steep climb. Once again, I underestimated the grade and began struggling almost immediately. From this point to the turnaround point (3.1 miles in), I picked up the pace in an effort to complete the distance in less than 50 minutes. At the 3-mile mark, the combination of heat and hills led me to start walking! Like many people, once I start walking, I find it difficult to start running again. At the turnaround, I saw many people pass me. Ryan then flew by me!

The next 3 miles was a combination of walking and jogging. The sun and heat was beating down pretty ferociously on all of the runners. But, we kept moving. After an hour (exactly one hour!), I crossed the finish line and eventually learned that I placed 49th of 139 participants. Ryan, however, completed the course in 57:14 placing 35th overall. And the winner, a gentleman from Henderson, finished in an astounding 40:41!

The course was tough, but the challenge was amazing. After the race, the promotion offered snacks and drinks in the picnic area and runners talked about the course, as well as their next challenges. So, if the challenge is presented again, I think I will partake in one of Las Vegas’ most extraordinary events and Run with the Devil once more. No sweat. Literally… it evaporates almost immediately!

~ Jason

Holiday Volunteering

We surveyed our volunteers and found the top 5 things volunteers are interested in participating in during the holidays are projects many organizations may be doing.

1. Direct client interaction - holiday celebrations, holiday specific activites, etc. If your clients would enjoy sharing the holiday spirit with volunteers you're in luck because volunteers want to help!

2. In-kind donation drives - food, clothing, toys, etc. Whatever you're collecting our volunteers want to know so they can participate. For some volunteers the holiday season is busy but this is a way they can still contribute without having to commit their time to a specific day of service.

3. Serving or distributing food - helping in a soup kitchen, delivering meals, delivering bags of food, etc. If your clients are served meals, volunteers will share their cooking and serving skills.

4. Distributing donated items - handing out donations to clients, driving donations to client homes, etc. These types of opportunities are great for getting whole families involved. A parent could drive with their children to drop off donations and the children get the opportunity to share the holiday spirit with those they help.

5. Wrapping gifts - This type of project could be done before an event, at an event or as an ongoing opportunity through the holidays. Families, teens and groups could get together and provide much needed help for your organization.

Don't forget, it's never too early to post your holiday volunteer needs. Volunteers start looking for holiday opportunities as early as the end of summer because they know the opportunities they are most interested in often fill up fast. Send in your Holiday Volunteer Opportunities form today to Volunteer@uwsn.org and get your opportunities listed now for maximum exposure.

What Happens in Vegas

Does your organization have events that are free or low cost to the community? Would it benefit your organization to spread the word about additional ways they can get involved with your cause? Be a part of our What Happens in Vegas segment in our volunteer newsletter!

We are looking for events that are free or low cost that community members can easily get involved in. Past features have included Springs Preserve and the classes they offer, Studio 8 Ten and their participation in First Friday and Super Summer Theater.

If you're interested in featuring your upcoming event please email MarisaM@uwsn.org with your event information and we will work with you to get your event featured. The furtuer in advance you submit your event the better chances are we can feature you. Get on our event calendar now for What Happens in Vegas!

Your Questions Answered

Do you have questions you wish you could get answered by volunteers to better improve your program? Do you have things you wish volunteers knew about volunteering before they start? Share your questions and volunteering tips at BethG (at) uwsn.org and your questions and tips could be featured in a future volunteer survey or article. Survey results are shared here in our partner newsletter so you'll get the info you always wanted to know!

Recognizing Volunteers

The results of our June survey to our volunteers about volunteer recognition are in! We asked what volunteers really wanted and needed to feel recognized for their hard work and dedication. If your organization is already doing some of these things then keep up the good work! If some of the information is a surprise you may be able to integrate some new ideas that may help attract and retain great volunteers.

We found out that volunteer recognition can be somewhat important to volunteers though most feel if they love the organizations mission/goals they would still volunteer. For some volunteers it's not even a factor in their decision to serve the community. They love what they do or volunteer for one time projects where they don't expect a large amount of recognition.

Knowing that the recognition budget is small for many organizations we were happy to see that many forms of non-material recognition would be just as well received as material gifts. It was unanimous that when staff/board members know and acknowledge volunteers by name it means a lot. Volunteers also appreciate a warm and sincere welcome when they arrive and a thank you when they leave. Even a simple verbal thanks or a "pat on the back" helps to make a volunteer feel important and needed within the organization.

Sometimes certain volunteer positions warrant an extra "perk" to volunteers who help out. We found free/discounted admission to an event is a great perk that works especially well if you have volunteers helping with set up or clean up duties. Also a free t-shirt or other clothing item was noted to be a nice perk for helping out.

If your organization has a recognition plan in place, our volunteers noted they do appreciate some sort of annual volunteer awards, thank you emails sent after events/projects or recognition gifts. Having an actual recognition event wasn't even at the top of the list however if you find your volunteers enjoy such a thing consider collaborating with other non-profits or combining your volunteer recognition event with something your clients could enjoy too. Many times volunteers enjoy celebrating along side the clients they serve.

Don't forget that recognition can be something that happens throughout the year. For birthdays, anniversaries (how long a volunteer has been with your organization), time milestones (50 hours served, 100 hours served, etc.) or even a volunteer of the month/year spotlight feature can help volunteers feel recognized continually throughout the year. You could have a spot on a prominent bulletin board to feature your volunteers, showcase them on your website or recognize them through the Volunteer Center or other media outlets.

Also one volunteer noted that a note/email 2-3 days in advance of a project with basic logistics info and a "thanks in advance" can go a long way to help a volunteer feel assured about the event, their role in the activity and that they are still needed and wanted.

Sometimes simple things can go a long way to helping volunteers feel welcome and connected to your organization. Share your ideas and get connected to other volunteer managers on the DOVIA Southern Nevada Facebook page. There is a discussion open where you can share your recognition ideas and tips HERE.