It’s hard out there for a volunteer.
Volunteering takes time, effort and know-how and volunteers receive no monetary compensation. But for those who do it, volunteering can be a worthwhile experience that is its own reward.
To encourage volunteerism in Arlington, the county recently partnered up with several organizations to hold a volunteer expo designed to match retired people with skills and time on their hands with organizations in need of help.
The event focused on retired people because, as Connie Francis, the county’s volunteer services coordinator, said, "The Baby Boomers are starting to retire. They are very well educated and have [free] time."
Kathy Shinal, with the Alexandria-based Retired and Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP), said that the organizations at the expo "Rely on [aged] 50 and up volunteers because they have more experience and more time to give."
At the event, tables were set up where human service groups handed out literature and information to seniors who were interested in lending a hand.
One of those groups was the Literacy Council of Northern Virginia, an organization that tutors adults with their reading and writing skills.
Martha Picarello, a manager with the Falls Church-based group, said that more than half of the Literacy Council’s clients are foreign born.
The Literacy Council came to the volunteer expo because, according to Picarello, recruiting volunteers is better when it’s done face to face.
"You really need to touch and feel what’s going on," she said. "It’s better when it’s done person to person."
Heather Pritchett of the Arlington chapter of the American Red Cross said that her organization was at the expo because they were looking for volunteers who were available during the day.
Rosalind Blakely attended the event to encourage others to sign up and volunteer. She helps out as a tutor at Bowen Elementary School in Southwest Washington, D.C., and she said it has been a fantastic experience.
"I get a great deal of satisfaction from volunteering," Blakely said. "I’ve been in the rat race all my life and I’ve never had a chance to give back. But now I’m giving back."