 |
Greater
Williamsburg Association for Volunteer Administration |
| that's G.W.A.V.A., not guava |
Greater Williamsburg Association for Volunteer Administration
(G.W.A.V.A.)that's G.W.A.V.A., not guava
Minutes for November 3, 2011 Meeting
The meeting was held in the Sentara Williamsburg Regional Medical Center. Brandie Weiler, G.W.A.V.A. President, opened the meeting and welcomed everyone. Debi Hardin introduced introduced Kim Van Sickel, Public Relations Consultant at Sentara Healthcare. Ms. Van Sickel talked about Sentara's experiences using various social media outlets, including Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, Linked-in and Foursquare.
Ms. Van Sickel provided an overview of the Hospital's on-going efforts to engage clients, patients, and the community at-large. Of particular note is that:
Social media is intended to be interactive. If something is posted on the Sentara Facebook page staff respond quickly and appropriately. 83% of polls people trust peer recommendations over product advertisements, which reflects the exponentially growing importance of social media outlets.
Facebook and Twitter are excellent ways to push information to clients, and also to receive feedback from the community - good and bad - about your organization.
Most social media interchanges take place in a public forum. Compliments can be seen, but complaints are also viewed. It is critically important that social media sites be monitored.
Sentara has staff assigned to generate content to social media outlets. If content is not generated regularly social media will prove less effective. Sentara also uses a monitoring tool to help them respond effectively to social media posts related to Sentara made on the accounts of other facebook, twitter, etc. users. This gives Sentara staff the opportunity to respond to comments and concerns, as well as improve their services.
Because for many people using social media takes less effort than writing a letter of praise or complaint, it can be a powerful tool for promoting your organization. However, organizations must be aware of the lack of control of "the message" that is inherent with social media outlets.
The instantaneous communication made possible through Twitter has implications for all organizations.
Following Ms. Van Sickel's presentation, GWAVA members were reminded about the December 8 luncheon at Colonial Williamsburg's King's Arms Tavern. The cost is $10. RSVPs are required. Any member interested in serving on the Executive Committee in 2012 should contact a current Executive Committee member. And, dues notices for 2012 will be sent in December.
The next G.W.A.V.A. meeting will be the above mentioned luncheon at the King's Arms Tavern.
Minutes for September 27, 2011 Meeting
The meeting was held in the Bruton Heights Education Center, at Colonial Williamsburg. Brandie Weiler, G.W.A.V.A. President, opened the meeting and welcomed everyone. Trish Barner introduced Colin Campbell, the president and CEO of the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation. Mr. Campbell provided an update on Colonial Williamsburg’s recent programmatic successes and some of the challenges with which the region continues to struggle.
He began his presentation with praise of volunteers supporting the community and, in particular, Colonial Williamsburg. Without these volunteers the museum could not function. Mr. Campbell reviewed some of the ways CW enriches and encourages their volunteers to continue giving their time to the institution. These include educational programs and recognition events.
Mr. Campbell commented on the visitation this year. The beginning of 2011 was good and CW was on track to match or surpass 2010 visitation numbers, however, weather and the economy have reduced the number of visitors as the year continues. A very positive change is that school visits are up in 2011 which benefits the entire Colonial Williamsburg organization.
Mr. Campbell recounted the story of a generous donor who has made possible the reconstruction of the Anderson Public Armory and Blacksmith shop in the historic area. Generous donors are critical to the continued success of Colonial Williamsburg's overall mission. During the past five years, CW programming has expected beyond July 4, 1776 to include Revolutionary War events. The history now runs up to 1782. Interpreters have begun "in the moment" programming. This programming engages visitors by emphasizing a single event during a house tour, thereby showing visitors how that event affects different areas of the house and the people in it.
CW also introduced RevQuest - a treasure hunt game that takes advantage of cell phone technology to further engage visitors. 10,000 people played RevQuest this year. Educational Outreach in the form of electronic field trips are on the rise. In 2010 6,000,000 students were involved in these.
CW staff have learned that twitter and facebook are now important communications tools for their visitors and were able to reach visitors very effectively prior to Hurricane Irene.
Mr. Campbell closed his presentation by emphasizing that marketing is probably the most critical element for the health of our region. Our region offers major attractions of all sorts, however, organizations are not accustomed to joining forces for the benefit of all institutions. As a community, there is not as much joint marketing as might be ideal.
At the conclusion of his presentation Mr. Campbell answered questions from G.W.A.V.A. members and was duly thanked for his insightful and educational words.
The Virginia Living Museum has begun a smartphone walking guide, tied to the Civil War. While in its infancy, the program is expected to grow.
William and Mary's Office of Community Engagement and Scholarship's Make a Difference Day is scheduled for October 15. For more information contact Elizabeth Miller
On September 29, Avalon will host a program at the W&M Law School about How to Keep Women and Children Safe.
Avalon Community Resources Coordinator, Bridget Casey was introduced to attendees.
Avalon will hold it's "One Night Without a Home" program on November 15. For more information contact Avalon.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Minutes for June 2, 2011 Meeting
The meeting was held in the Schell Memorial Meeting room at the Williamsburg Library. Brandie Weiler, G.W.A.V.A. President, opened the meeting and welcomed everyone. Attendees around the table introduced themselves.
Brandie Weiler offered a brief Treasurer's Report, as G.W.A.V.A. Treasurer Carol Schenk was out of town.
Brandie Weiler explained that primary the topic of discussion for the meeting was tracking volunteer information using technology. To begin with attendees would hear about two methods currently being used, differentiated candidly as volunteer tracking for those with a budget and those without a budget.
Debi Hardin presented the volunteer tracking program Volgistics to the group. This online based product allows users to store volunteer information in an online database, accessible from any Internet access point. The data is password protected. Information about volunteer hours, jobs, locations, skills, as well as birthdays, contact information, email addresses, etc. can be entered into the system. The cost is largely based on the number of active and archived volunteers that have records for your organization. An added feature (for added cost) is a touch screen application that allows volunteers to sign in and record their own hours. Debi provided printed handouts related to Volgistics for attendees to review and reference in the future.
Brandie Weiler explained her use of technology to track volunteer information. She uses Excel spreadsheets to record volunteer data, including contact information and hours. The spreadsheets allow Brandie to track hours volunteered by one-time visiting groups (400 to 500 people), as well as the hours of individual HPI volunteers (50-100). Brandie also uses Excel spreadsheets to track information about community service volunteers.
Rebecca Sheetz offered two additional possible resources for tracking volunteer information: volunteerspot.com (which offers free and paid versions) and signupgenious.com. Brandie noted she will explore volunteerspot.com to try to learn its strengths and weaknesses.
Following additional discussion on the topic, attendees were invited to share announcements.
Announcements:
The next G.W.A.V.A. meeting will be at 9:00 a.m. on September 27, 2011.
Presentation by Colonial
Williamsburg Foundation President and CEO Colin Campbell. Bruton
Heights School Education Center.
Minutes for March 24, 2011 Meeting
The meeting was held in the conference room at Housing Partnership, Inc. Brandie Weiler, G.W.A.V.A. President, opened the meeting and welcomed everyone.
Treasurer Carol Schenk reported the bank balance for G.W.A.V.A. is sufficient to again support Professional Development and Program grants for current G.W.A.V.A. members.
The program featured a presentation by Darla Krupski, Self-Advocacy Coordinator, The Arc of Greater Williamsburg. Ms. Krupski offered an overview highlighting her experiences and lessons learned while attending the 2010 State Convention "A Life Like Yours: The Journey Continues" celebrating The Arc of Virginia’s 55th Anniversary. Attendance was supported in part through a G.W.A.V.A. scholarship.
Darla was both a presenter and an attendee at the Conference. The Conference goals were to explore ways to increase membership among Arc organizations (beyond clients and their families) and promote self-advocacy programs.
Her program attracted about 50 people. Building on the second goal of the Conference Darla highlighted the Arc of Greater Williamsburg's successful Aktion Clubs, which promote self-advocacy through membership clubs that include Arc clients, partnership with the Williamsburg Kiwanis and completing service projects. The Aktion Club projects have included car washes, pet toys for Heritage Humane Society residents, therapy dolls, and toiletry bags for veterans. Aktion Clubs teach leadership, team work, and planning while including continuing education opportunities are such as programs at the Muscarelle Museum of Art. There are 26 members in the Aktion Club at the Arc of Greater Williamsburg.
Darla also shared that as a result of attending the conference she was able to also attend a meeting that included attorneys from the Department of Justice. A civil law suit related to the Olmstead Act will affect state built institutions that are home to many disabled individuals. The effort includes expanding the voice for all people with disabilities regarding meeting the needs of Virginia's residents who may have a disability. The Justice Departments findings letter, addressed to the Governor of Virginia can be found on the Internet here.
Following additional discussion on the topic, attendees were invited to share announcements.
Announcements:
The next G.W.A.V.A. meeting will be at 9:00 a.m. on June 2, 2011. Topic will be a discussion on using technology to track volunteer data. Location TBD.
Minutes for February 24, 2011 Meeting
The meeting was held in the Williamsburg Library, Meeting Room B. Brandie Weiler, G.W.A.V.A. President, opened the meeting and welcomed everyone.
The program featured a presentation by Melody Porter, Associate Director, Office of Community Engagement and Scholarship, the College of William and Mary. Ms. Porter offered a Powerpoint Presentation highlighting her experiences and lessons learned while attending the Alternative Break Citizenship School in the Grand Canyon. G.W.A.V.A. helped fund the trip through a Professional Development Scholarship.
Melody shared various tips, skills and information gleaned from the experience. Five William and Mary representatives attended the school, among about 60 total participants. The school day was divided between doing service projects and attending workshops. When working on service projects the importance of education, orientation and training for all participants cannot be over emphasized.
One important aspect of service projects is incorporating a time for reflection by participants of what has been accomplished. It can be helpful to have outcome measures in mind for this reflection period.
The service project pursued by school attendees was litter eradication. In this respect the orientation participants received, help inspire them to work long, hard hours to reduce the trash dropped in the canyon. The very existence of the wildlife (especially the lovable, but unsophisticated condor) is at risk because of the trash.
Additional information learned during the workshops included:
when preparing for a meeting, there generally are three ways people become comfortable running a meeting -
about fundraising -
General reflections from Melody on National Parks and the Grand Canyon -
Following Melody's presentation attendees shared announcements for upcoming event:
The next G.W.A.V.A. meeting will be at 9:00 a.m. on March 24, 2011. Darla Krupski, Assistant Director/Self Advocacy Coordinator, The ARC of Greater Williamsburg on her experiences attending the 2010 State Convention "A Life Like Yours: The Journey Continues." Conference attendance was supported in part through a G.W.A.V.A. scholarship. Location TBD.
Minutes for October 28, 2010 Meeting
Minutes from September 23, 2010 Meeting
The meeting was held in the conference room at the Historic Triangle Community Services Center. Ginger Bryan, G.W.A.V.A. President, opened the meeting and welcomed everyone. Treasurer Carol Schenk provided a brief treasurer's report. G.W.A.V.A. finances are in order. Members were told that the annual end of the year luncheon has been scheduled for December 9 at 11:30 a.m. at the Kings Arms Tavern. Cost to members is $10. Members are encouraged to reserve their place quickly. Several members paid $10 for the holiday luncheon.
Shandran Thornburgh, Volunteer Services Director for the Virginia Living Museum, presented a program on the Strategic Planning Process with an emphasis on volunteers.
During her talk Shandran explained the importance of including staff, volunteers, board members and constituents in the planning process. Input from all groups is important to the success and support of the end result strategic plan.
Strategic planning is a process by which an organization reviews where it see itself in three to five years in terms of mission, services, funding, etc. A strategic plan reinforces accountability for organization activities, efficiency, resource allocation, and clarity of mission.
She noted that SWOT analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) is often an early step in developing a strategic plan. Taking each part in turn, participants identify what their organizations do well (e.g. reputation, location, facilities), what needs to be improved (e.g. customer service, challenges to overcome, areas where opportunities exist (e.g. collaboration, technology, grants), and what threats they face (e.g. funding, competition, obstacles). Sometimes a threat and an opportunity can be the same thing (such as competition) and/or a strength can also be a weakness.
After SWOT analysis participants must prioritize goals based on the results of the SWOT, create a strategy for achieving the goals, implement the strategy, evaluate the results, and begin anew.
To complete a strategic plan an organization needs to develop its vision (over-arching/broad concept) as well a succinct mission (specific statement of what the organization does).
Shandran shared with meeting attendees the time line of the VLM strategic planning process (which took more than eight months) as well as the survey questions and answers used with VLM volunteers, during the planning. Shandran also gave attendees copies of the progress report from fiscal year 2009, regarding the strategic plan. The report reviews each priority action item and notes if the item is under review, in planning or completed.
At the end of her presentation Shandran shared the VLM Strategic Plan in its printed format.
The next G.W.A.V.A. meeting will be held on October 28 at 9 a.m. in the William and Mary School of Education Building. Literacy for Life will host. For more information click here.
Minutes from June 3, 2010 Meeting
The meeting was held at Hospice House & Support Care of Williamsburg. Ginger Bryan, G.W.A.V.A. President, opened the meeting with introductions around the table. She brought to the attention of attendees that Melody Porter was named 2010 National Alternative Break Awards Staff Person of the Year by Break Away, The Alternative Break Connection.
Benjamin Goldberg reported that three G.W.A.V.A. scholarship/program applications were received by the May 31 deadline. The Executive Committee will meet June 8 to review the applications and make appropriate awards.
Focus next shifted to a Panel discussion on experiences using teen volunteers. The panelists were Teri Christian (Hospice House), Brandie Weiler (Housing Partnership), and Morag Willey (Williamsburg Regional Library). Teri spoke first.
Hospice House & Support Care of Williamsburg began using teen volunteers about 2007 in response to community and staff interest. Prior to using teen volunteers staff formed an advisory committee to learn from others about successfully incorporating teens into a volunteer program. Initially the volunteers were recruited through known contacts, family and friends. There is an education/adjustment process that occurs with the teen volunteers when they come to Hospice. Most do not know what to expect and arrive feeling some trepidation.
As the teens become acclimated they thrive, bringing with them a youthful spirit which is felt throughout the house. Teens are used on an individual basis and for team projects. Individuals bake, clean, keep guests company (with additional training), weed, hang decorations, greet visitors, etc. Team projects have included the creation of comfort baskets and development of video memories.
Word of mouth recruiting has been sufficient for meeting volunteer needs. Currently Hospice has around 25 teen volunteers. They require an on-going commitment of all teen volunteers. Teen volunteers bring with them a positive dimension that fully supports the mission of Hospice House.
Brandie Weiler next spoke on Housing Partnership, Inc's use of teen volunteers. HPI has used college students as volunteers for more than 20 years. HPI will accept children as young as 10, with an accompanying guardian. They are limited in the number of hours they can volunteer. At age 16 limits on hours are no longer needed, however, teen volunteers are prohibited from using power tools. Recruiting is largely by word of mouth and through community service programs. HPI is very selective about where and when community service volunteers are allowed to work.
Teen volunteers who need to fulfill a specific number of hours of service are welcome at HPI. However, they must be willing to work hard or they will not be allowed to continue volunteering for HPI. Teen volunteers must approach the HPI volunteer coordinator directly and not through an intermediary (parent, parole officer, attorney, etc.).
During a typical summer HPI has volunteer groups on a regular basis. Often 20 teens volunteer during the week. Some weekends as many as 200 volunteers may help. There is an application for individuals and a separate application for groups. The latter ensures that a contact person is identified for the group.
While volunteering teens are prohibited from texting, responding to cell phone calls (except in cases of emergency) or loafing off.
The final panelist was Morag Willey from the Williamsburg Regional Library. WRL uses teens for cleric support during their summer reading program. Teens check in summer reading participants and keep records during the summer reading program.
WRL has a summer reading volunteer application that is available in May, each year. Volunteers participate in training sessions so they understand their duties, dress code requirements, and expectations for the program. The training includes a "how not to behave" skit that has been devised as a result of a few poor volunteer experiences in the past.
For summer reading WRL has between 65 and 75 volunteers. They must have completed 6th grade to volunteer through the program. Other volunteer opportunities are limited to an age minimum of 16. Many summer reading volunteers return each year through their senior years in high school.
At the end of the summer reading program teen volunteers are recognized with a pizza and sundae party. They receive letters that document their hours worked and often small mementos.
Following the panel discussion G.W.A.V.A. members discussed how, on occasion, teen volunteers can be unreliable, over-committed, or otherwise require extra attention from staff. When volunteers do not fit with the mission of the organization they should not be used. It was reiterated that especially in the case of using teen volunteers, close supervision by a paid staff member is a prerequisite for any situation.
Ginger thanked people for participating in the meeting and reminded attendees that the next G.W.A.VA. meeting will be in the fall of 2010. She wished everyone a great summer and the meeting adjourned.
Minutes for February 25, 2010 Meeting
The meeting was held at the new Housing Partnership, Inc. building. Ginger Bryan, G.W.A.V.A. President, opened the meeting by asking Brandie Weiler to share information about the new HPI location with attendees. Zoned commercial the house was purchased through private support and converted, pro-bono, into office space. The full basement can provide space for out of area visiting volunteers to stay and HPI now has a warehouse on premises to store materials. It took 12 months from purchase to renovate the space.
Following Brandie's review of the HPI building, Ginger asked attendees to introduce themselves and share how they hoped to thank volunteers during National Volunteer Week in April, especially given tight budgets which translate to limited funds. Beyond the effective and traditional personal thank you, ideas included ecards to volunteers, letters of thanks, luncheons varying from events with staff provided food to fully catered sit-down affairs, service award events, email blasts, and recognizing volunteers on web site or other public venues.
Ginger thanked all for their ideas. She reviewed the upcoming Professional Development Workshop scheduled for March 25, 2010. Details as of the meeting were included on a hand out. The PDW will feature Cecily Rodriguez discussing cultural awareness and volunteers. Current G.W.A.V.A. members can attend for free. Others may join G.W.A.V.A. to attend. Registration information is available here.
Members who have not yet paid their 2010 dues were asked to please remit payment ASAP.
Ginger asked 2009 G.W.A.V.A. grant recipients from Hospice House and the Arc of Greater Williamsburg to report on how their grant support helped them
Linda Osborn and several Hospice volunteers attended the Heart of the Journey State Hospice Conference. They were able to participate in eight out of 13 workshops and brought back a wide variety of information. Linda and the Hospice volunteers provided a brief, impromptu workshop on a session they attended related to the Gentle Touch of Energy, presented by Deny Clark (www.denyenergy.com) . Linda and the volunteers demonstrated how gentle touch therapy can be shown to hospice caregivers and family members to benefit patients and caregivers. The keynote speaker was Liz Courain - Director of Volunteer Services at the U of VA Medical Center and previously Executive Director at Madison House (UVA student volunteer center). Ms. Courain's research data on can be found at www.nationalservice.org.
Next Pam McGregor, Executive Director of The ARC of Greater Williamsburg, thanks G.W.A.V.A. and reported on the two G.W.A.V.A. grants that supported her organization. Grant support supplemented expenses related to attending the ARC of Virginia state conference, where she was asked to make two presentations. In particular Pam made a presentation on how to establish a Self-Advocacy Program. She led role playing during the session to teach good greeting scenarios and poor scenarios.
The second grant will enable the ARC of Greater Williamsburg to implement volunteer training workshops. Pam emphasized that they do not engage in medical treatments. The Training sessions concentrate on teaching volunteers about how to interact safely with clients. The sessions also serve as a venue to thank volunteers.
Following presentations there was discussion on accepting court mandated volunteers.
Ginger reminded attendees that the next G.W.A.VA. meeting will be the Professional Development Workshop on March 25, at the James City County Library.
Minutes for October 29, 2009 Meeting
- Volunteer training fora, where feedback is gathered
- Tracking retention of volunteers, analyzing reasons for retention/loss
- Conversations with individual volunteers
- Mutual evaluations
- Surveys
- Talking to patients/clients
- Email check-ins
- Tracking hours
- Getting all volunteers together periodically
- 90 day (or mid-semester) evaluations
- Computerized tracking of volunteer hours and experience
- Talking to staff that supervise volunteers
Speaker
& Discussion
Margaret Cullivan introduced Cathy McCoy from Sentara Williamsburg Regional Medical Center. Ms. McCoy presented on the new ECare system used by Sentara – a computerized records system that allows seamless sharing of information between doctors, medical staff and patients that went live at Sentara on September 12, 2009. Members asked questions and received feedback.
Melody Porter presented the slate of officers as developed by the Executive Committee. :
o Ginger Bryan, President (was recently appointed Vice President with Linda Lockwood’s departure)
o Brandie Weiler, Vice President
o Carol Schenk, Treasurer
o Benjamin Goldberg, Secretary
o At Large: Janet Gonzalez, Melody Porter (past president)
She asked for nominations from the floor. Receiving none, the slate was put forward for a voice vote. The slate was unanimously approved.
The membership discussed ideas for programs and the PDW for next year. There was general agreement that it is important to keep the PDW going even in thin economic times, to elevate the profession. Margaret Cullivan offered to host the workshop at Sentara. Several topics were proposed, including:
· Generational gaps/differences among volunteers and how to negotiate them (Margaret Cullivan has a name of a presenter from Richmond)
· Cultural and linguistic diversity among volunteers (Deborah Elliott has contact – Cecily Rodriguez)
· It was discussed that both topics could be addressed under the general heading of diversity and volunteers; one session in the morning, one in the afternoon
For membership meeting programs, an idea was put forward to have programs/members share information about their work, including showcasing awards that their volunteers have won, and sharing best practices about aspects of volunteer administration.
Presentation
by Professional Development Grantee
Shandran Thornburgh from the Virginia Living Museum presented her findings from her recent attendance at the Association of Zoo and Aquarium conference, supported in part by a Professional Development Grant by GWAVA. Her presentation began with an energizer game involving Dixie cups, Q-tips and straws (ask us about this one – it’s really fun!). She then proceeded to share her best tips from various workshops, and those notes are below. Shandran has also shared the VA Living Museum’s media policy with us; email gwava.email@gmail.com for a copy.
· Renew your membership now! Applications are on the website – gwava.org
· Holiday Luncheon - $10 – RSVP by November 17; will be December 10, 11:30 am at the King’s Arms Tavern
AZA
Presentation for GWAVA 10/29/09 – Shandran Thornburgh
THANK
YOU!
Attended
mostly volunteer administration sessions
Social
Networking/Social Media
Volunteers need to
meet the needs of the organization
Match skills and
intere
2nd key:
3rd Key:
4th Key:
Pitfall:
reporting numbers without meaning, A body count followed by # of hours
doesn’t tell as much; it’s out of context. When reporting, put in context!
Ask: what is
the true reason for reporting? If volunteers are having an impact, there
should be something to proclaim on a regular basis
Think about:
The G.W.A.V.A. holiday luncheon will be held at Kings Arms Tavern on December 10 ($10 cost per attending member).
Minutes for September 24, 2009 Meeting
The meeting took place in the Greater Williamsburg Chamber and Tourism Alliance conference room.
The meeting began with an introduction and welcome from Melody Porter. Attendees introduced themselves and offered their thoughts on recent successful volunteer events and lessons learned from them.
Melody announced that grants totaling $800 were made to G.W.A.V.A. members. Specific recipients included the Arc of Greater Williamsburg, Hospice House and Support Care of Greater Williamsburg, Virginia Living Museum and Child and Family Connection.
Benjamin informed members of G.W.A.V.A.'s treasury balance and noted the only expense during the summer was for scholarships.
Kyra Cook, Manager of the Historic Triangle Collaborative, presented findings and analysis about a survey conducted earlier this year that focused on young professionals and their opinions of the Greater Williamsburg area. Geared toward professionals between the ages of 20 and 40, the survey begins to explore issues facing the community when attracting and retaining young professionals to the area. Because young professionals can be a vibrant, energetic, engaged group in any community, their presence is socially and economically desirable.
Seven indexes help gauge young professionals' interest in an area:
There is a perception that Williamsburg is unaffordable and does not pay high enough wages. On the remaining five indexes Williamsburg meets or exceeds national trends.
Analyzing other results the survey suggests Young Professionals are more likely to be transplants than come from the area. When compared to national statistics, Williamsburg area young professionals are somewhat more likely to move within four years of coming to the region.
Many young professionals also prefer "no guilt" volunteering (i.e. volunteer opportunities that allow them to give their time for a finite project and be done).
Local government,
nonprofits, businesses and residents need to be aware of these findings.
How they will be incorporated into future long-term planning has not yet been
determined. The power point presentation can be reviewed here.
After Kyra Cook's presentation, G.W.A.V.A. members discussed the findings and made announcements.
Upcoming G.W.A.V.A. meetings are on October 29 at the Sentara Williamsburg Regional Medical Center. The G.W.A.V.A. holiday luncheon will be held at Kings Arms Tavern on December 10 ($10 cost per attending member).
Minutes for May 28, 2009 Meeting
The meeting took place in the Patricia Schell Memorial Meeting Room at the Williamsburg Library.
The meeting began with an introduction and welcome from Melody Porter. Attendees introduced themselves and offered their thoughts on a document titled "Seven steps to achieve effective volunteer support." The steps listed are:
After some discussion on the importance of all of these steps, Melody reminded members that the deadline for G.W.A.V.A. Professional Development and Program grants is May 31.
Melody also reported that the Professional Development Workshop in March was a success, with Lou Gomez, of the Growth Coach, speaking to Workshop attendees about strategic planning their professional and personal lives. Melody submitted a Letter to the Editor during April's National Volunteer Week to highlight G.W.A.V.A. and volunteers. The G.W.A.V.A. treasury remains stable.
Pam McGregor started her presentation by noting that people are aware of CDR and Special Education in the community. They work with individuals with intellectual or physical disabilities from birth through high school. However, after high school they cannot provide assistance.
The Arc of Greater Williamsburg has been serving adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities for more than 30 years. Today the Arc offers clients Self-Advocacy (education), Adapted Wellness (fitness) and Quality of Life (social/recreational) programs. The Arc conducts more than 10 activities each month. In 2008 they offered 14,000 hours of respite to families through 3400 activities. Programs include math education, life skills training, yoga, aerobics, arts and crafts, dances, movies, games, basketball clinics, and more. The Arc enjoys collaborations with the Muscarelle Museum, Kiwanis Club, and has an especially close relationship with William and Mary students who volunteer at the Arc. Other supporters include churches, hish schools, YMCA, and the library.
Following Pam's presentation she noted that the Arc will partner with several restaurants during the summer as a fundraiser.
It was also announced that the Virginia Department of Mental Health, Mental Retardation and Substance Abuse Services will be renamed the Department of Behavior Health Developmental Services. The Office of Student Volunteer Services at the College of William and Mary will soon merge with another area and be known as the Office of Community Engagement and Scholarship.
Minutes for February 26, 2009 Meeting
The meeting took place in the Board Room of Building C at the Mounts Bay James City County Government Complex.
The meeting began with an introduction and welcome from Melody Porter. Attendees introduced themselves and offered ways their agencies might collaborate with other G.W.A.V.A. members and the entire community.
G.W.A.V.A. Treasurer Brandie Weiler provided a brief report on G.W.A.V.A. resources. In response to a question about how funds are used Melody noted they primarily support membership activities which include the December luncheon, the Professional Development Workshop, supplies, and annual membership scholarships.
Thomas Little, Chief of Eligibility with James City County Social Services provided an excellent overview of available assistance programs, eligibility requirements, how he sees the economic climate impacting services offered, and how G.W.A.V.A. members might be able to help. Some highlights include:
Programs Administered by James City County Social Services for eligible James City County residents (all programs are locally administered).
Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) provides temporary cash assistance to eligible needy families with children.
The Energy Assistance Program assists low-income households in meeting immediate home energy needs.
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (formerly Food Stamps) provides benefits to low-income households to purchase nutritional food items from United States Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Services authorized retailers
The Medicaid Program, established under Title XIX of the federal Social Security Act, enables states to provide medical assistance to public assistance recipients and other low-income individuals and families who require medical care.
Mr. Little explained there has been an increase of approximately 35% in program assistance since January 2008. In general applications have continued to rise over the last four years.
He noted the Food Assistance Network is a local network of churches, nonprofit social service agencies, and schools that work to educate the community about assistance programs that are available.
Mr. Little shared the web site vafood.org as an on-line resource for submitting an application for all assistance programs and as well as documents that outline the programs and printable applications.
Following Mr. Little's presentation G.W.A.V.A. members discussed the assistance programs with Mr. Little.
At the end of the meeting Melody reminded members to about the upcoming Professional Development Workshop on March 27, 2009. Workshop information is available on the G.W.A.V.A. web site here.
Minutes for November 6, 2008 Meeting
The meeting took place in the Williamsburg Room on the Campus of Sentara Williamsburg Regional Medical Center.
The meeting began with an introduction and welcome from Benjamin Goldberg.
Margaret Cullivan announced that SWRMC will be running a mock emergency program on December 5. Volunteers to assist with this drill should contact Debi Hardin.
Speakers Don West Director of Support Operations and Jaime Sanderson, Director Of Education reviewed the hospital's disaster preparedness plan. The plan includes consideration related to communication, resources and assets, safety and security, staff responsibilities, clinical activities, and utilities. Each of these six areas have been thoroughly reviewed and procedures put into place to ensure everything will be operational should an emergency occur. There are back up procedures and resources in place to allow the hospital to maintain a safe, healthy and secure campus in the case of a natural or manmade disaster.
Rene Brown, Planetree Health Resource Center Librarian,
also presented a brief overview of the Planetree consumer health library located in Sentara. Resources are intended for patients and families, as well as medical professionals. The library is open 24/7. The Planetree volunteer helps stock library satellite areas located throughout the hospital and maintains the book display.Benjamin Goldberg thanked hospital staff for their presentations and hospitality.
Announcements from the group:
Nominations for G.W.A.V.A. Executive Committee Officers should be given to Executive Committee members for consideration.
Professional Development Workshop ideas can be forwarded to Executive Committee members.
The next regular meeting is scheduled for Thursday, December 11, 2008 at the Kings Arms Tavern, Colonial Williamsburg. This will be the annual luncheon. RSVP and $10s are required by December 1 to attend.
Minutes for June 5, 2008 Meeting
The meeting took place in the Hancock Geriatric Treatment Center on the campus of Eastern State Hospital.
The meeting began with an introduction and welcome from Deborah Elliott, Volunteer Coordinator at Eastern State Hospital.
Brandie Weiler, Treasurer, reported the treasury is sound with approximately $4,000 in the account. At the suggestion of a G.W.A.V.A. member, the executive committee will begin exploring ways to use these funds to benefit the membership and community.
Brandie Weiler and Zena Myall briefly discussed their experiences at the 2008 Virginia Conference on Volunteerism and Community Service held in Virginia Beach. G.W.A.V.A. provided both partial scholarships to attend the conference this past April. Zena and Brandie agreed the conference was not as informative about Americorp volunteers as they thought it would be (recommended web site www.cns.gov). They especially appreciated a presentation on "The Fine Art of Supervising Volunteers" and the presentation of the Governor’s 2008 Volunteer Award for nonprofit group to the 2007 Jamestown Volunteer Sub-committee.
Next, Melissa Evans gave a presentation on the priority of recovery from mental illness. She emphasized that an important part of this process is support from the community and that patients truly wish to be valued and have meaning in their lives. Melissa discussed principles of recovery, empowering language, Wellness Recovery Action Plans, and recovery in general.
President Goldberg thanked Eastern State staff for their presentation and hospitality.
Announcements from the group:
George Spellman mentioned planning activities by local health agencies to create a master plan for the community.
Brandie Weiler promoted the PIPE fund raiser of June 7 called Paella Cookoff & Sangria Party sponsored by LaTienda.com Also HPI is piloting a youth program this summer from June 25 through July for volunteers from 14 to 19 years of age.
Lynda Nester promoted the OTMC back to school physicals June 26.
Deborah Elliott promoted the ESH yard sale on June 13th from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. to benefit the Pet therapy program. She also praised the Jamestown High School volunteer Step Program.
The next regular monthly meeting is scheduled for Thursday, September 25, 2008 at Colonial Williamsburg. Featured speakers will be from Colonial Williamsburg and Leave a Legacy.
Minutes for February 28, 2008 Meeting
The meeting took place
at The James City County Government Complex, Building C. The meeting
began with introductions from the attendees.
President Goldberg read
a resolution for out-going president Carol Schenk and presented her with a
gift certificate to Olive Garden, since she missed the installation meeting
there. Brandie Weiler, Treasurer,
reported the treasury is sound with approximately $3000 in the account.
Joe Burkart was the
guest speaker from VolunteerWilliamsburg.org.
VolunteerWilliamsburg.org is a newly formed referral source for
non-profit agencies that links talented citizens in the area with the needs of
non-profit agencies. The
Williamsburg Chamber of Commerce is supporting this effort and hopes that the
focus on professional volunteers for short-term skilled volunteer
opportunities will not only assist the non-profit agencies in the area, but
also the new resident who has moved into this area and looking for
opportunities to give back to their community.
Primarily, VolunteerWilliamsburg.org is recruiting from the retired
population and will launch their web-site in mid-April.
President Goldberg
thanked Mr. Burkart for his presentation and presented him with a memento of
the organization’s appreciation for speaking at the meeting.
Announcements from the
group:
Carol Schenk and others
indicated they had been contacted by Wake Forest Gospel Choir who will be in
the area on March 12 and were looking for ways they could volunteer in the
community. Both Brandie Weiler,
Housing Partnerships, and Zena Myall indicated they also had been contacted by
the choir.
G.W.A.V.A. has a meeting
planned for Thursday, March 27, 2008 at the James City County Library.
The guest speak will discuss large scale volunteer coordination.
Minutes for January 31, 2008 Meeting
The Officer Installation meeting took place at the Olive Garden Restaurant on Richmond Road. The meeting began with introductions from the attendees.
Because outgoing G.W.A.V.A. President Carol Schenk was unable to attend, 2008 G.W.A.V.A. President Benjamin Goldberg, provided a brief overview of events in 2007. These included:
2007 G.W.A.V.A. Executive Committee Officers were:
Carol Schenk, Janet Gonzalez, Brandie Weiler, and Benjamin GoldbergIn 2007 The executive committee met most months to plan meetings, including the Professional Development Workshop, and talk shop.
G.W.A.V.A. members had meetings in February, March, May, September and December. Meetings covered topics such as Hospice services in Williamsburg, Housing Partnership, and Olde Towne Medical Center. Our annual Professional Development Workshop featured presentations by Michael Travis and Rona Vrooman.
Goldberg continued by reading the following resolution commending Schenk for two years of service as G.W.A.V.A. President:
Resolution Recognizing the Leadership, Camaraderie and Expertise that Carol A. Schenk, H. R. Specialist has willingly offered to the Greater Williamsburg Association for Volunteer Administration (G.W.A.V.A.) during her 2006-2007 tenure as President
Whereas
, Carol is an H. R. Specialist for James City County as well as Volunteer Services Coordinator for said municipal body; andWhereas
, Carol has served as President of G.W.A.V.A. from 2006 through 2007, graciously continuing her regime during the Jamestown 2007 commemoration to ensure the job got done; andWhereas
, G.W.A.V.A. members have remained involved, interested, educated and well fed, through their association with this organization; andWhereas
, It stands to reason that Carol is an intelligent, good humored, talented, tenacious, organized, and tremendous asset; therefore,Be It Resolved
, That the membership of G.W.A.V.A. do hereby thank Carol and heap vast quantities of praise upon her for a job extremely well done.Be It Further Resolved
, That as past-president and 2008 secretary Carol can look forward to even more G.W.A.V.A. responsibilities.Goldberg finished by naming the 2008 G.W.A.V.A. Executive Committee and briefly outlining activities planned for 2008:
- President: Benjamin "It's got to be easier the second time around" Goldberg
- President-elect: Lauren "Drew made me do it" Grainger
- Treasurer: Brandie "there’s not enough for Cancun, but Disney was nice" Weiler
- Secretary: Carol "So long as I’m not President again" Schenk
- At-large member: Janet "I’m not ready to retire yet" Gonzalez
First, the Executive Committee meets at Books-a-million at 9 a.m. on the second Tuesday of these following months: February, March, April, May, September, October, November and maybe even June and August.
The meeting schedule was reviewed and can be accessed on the web site here.
Goldberg finished his review by asking members to consider serving on the executive committee in 2008 or 2009.
Lunch was served and members ate and talked until the meeting was adjourned.
Minutes for September 27, 2007 Meeting
The meeting took place at Olde Towne Medical Center (OTMC). The meeting began with introductions from the attendees.
Lynda Nestor explained some of the operation, logistics, history, and mission of OTMC. The center is a public-private partnership created in 1993 to address the needs of the region's medically un- and under-served. OTMC sees more than 1,000 clients each month. They offer a full range of medical services.
Executive Director David Pribble and Clinical Director Martha Klinner spoke with G.W.A.V.A. members about the many services offered. They touched on who funds OTMC. The clinic relies heavily on volunteers for professional, clerical, and general support of the operation. There are 14 volunteer dentists, 20 volunteer physicians and all told about 75 to 100 volunteers each month.
Lynda led the G.W.A.V.A. members on a thorough tour of OTMC following the presentations.
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From Left: Lynda Nester, OTMC Volunteer Coordinator, David Pricle OTMC, Executive Director, and Carol Schenk, G.W.A.V.A. President |
Minutes for May 24, 2007 Meeting
The meeting took place in a house being constructed by Housing Partnership, Inc. in the City of Williamsburg. The meeting began with introductions from the attendees.
Abbitt Woodall explained the operation, logistics, and mission of Housing Partnership, Inc. (HPI). The agency was founded 22 years ago and continues to provide construction services to low income residence of James City County, the City of Williamsburg, and York County. The majority of the construction work is completed by volunteers. HPI receives most of its funding locally and is not partnered with a national organization. HPI most often completes emergency home repairs, including water heater replacement and roof and siding repairs. On occasion the agency also builds handicapped accessible ramps, paints houses, and builds new homes.
Brandie Weiler offered an overview of the HPI volunteer program. Volunteers complete most of the construction projects that HPI undertakes. Volunteers include skilled and unskilled workers, who receive training. Since 1985 HPI has had over 20,000 volunteers, donating 100,000 hours. HPI draws their volunteer pool from high school and college students, civic organizations, religious organizations, their own core volunteers, and many other groups in the area and throughout the country.
Attendees of the meeting toured the house, still under construction.
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Abbitt Woodall, HPI Executive Director |
Brandie Weiler, HPI Volunteer Coordinator |
Recorded by Benjamin Goldberg, Secretary
Minutes for February 22, 2007 Meeting
The meeting began with introductions and announcements from the attendees. Drew Stelljes reported that student interest in Domestic and International Service trips is extremely high at William and Mary.
Elaine Cannon noted that not only is 2007 America’s 400th Anniversary, it is also Jamestown Settlement’s 50th birthday.
Erin Pitre reported that Avalon is recruiting volunteers who can teach critical life skills courses to clients.
Margaret Cullivan announced the 2007 Plantree conference will be in Williamsburg. They expect about 1000 attendees.
In the absence of Linda Kay Russell (sick with the flu) Carol Schenk offered a brief overview of the COVAA conference in Denver, Colorado (December 2006). The conference was exhausting and inspiring. Linda is on the Professional Development committee and will continue her involvement, representing G.W.A.V.A. in the process. As more information is available it will be shared with the members.
Information about the upcoming Professional Development Workshop (March 22, 2007) and revised membership rosters were distributed.
Linda Osborn, Barbara Graebener, and Teresa Christin described, explained, and illustrated how Hospice House and Support Care operates, including the use of volunteers. Hospice House is a welcoming environment. Some volunteers are directly involved with guests, others help in clerical, maintenance, other support and roles.
While Hospice House has been operating for only five years, Hospice Support Care has been in the Williamsburg community for 25 years. It is only one of three hospice programs on the east coast that has no fees. It is a volunteer program and does not provide direct medical care.
The house has four beds for terminal guests and/or respite care. Hospice also provides in-home support throughout the community.
Following the remarks by Hospice staff, G.W.A.V.A. members were treated to a brief introductory video about Hospice as well as a tour of the facility.
Recorded by Benjamin Goldberg, Secretary
(left to right): From Hospice House Linda Osborn, Barbara Graebener, and Teresa Christin and Carol Schenk, G.W.A.V.A. President.
Minutes for November 16, 2006 Meeting
Carol Schenk James City County
Kay Nash Historic Triangle Senior Center
Carmen Blair Avalon
Linda Obsorn Hospice House
Abbitt Woodall Housing Partnerships
Daniel Kay (Intern) Housing Partnerships
Brandie Weiler Sentara Regional Community Medical Center
Zena Myall United Way of Greater Williamsburg
Ginger Bryan Colonial Williamsburg Foundation
Lynda Nestor Olde Towne Medical Center
Linda Russell Sentara Hospice
Lynn Smith America's 400th Anniversary Volunteer Coordinator
The meeting began with
introductions and announcements from the attendees.
Abbitt informed the group of an upcoming event in March, 2007 – Paint
the Town where over 400 volunteers will be needed to repaint houses in the
Williamsburg area.
Carmen Blair talked about the
wish list for families but said most of the families have been adopted by
Colonial Williamsburg or the Va Gazette.
Zena Myall talked about the
holiday tree decorating at the Outlet Mall.
Carol Schenk informed the
group of the upcoming conference in Denver “Congress of Volunteer
Administration Association” - December 4 – 6.
GWAVA is offering a $500 scholarship if anyone can attend to represent
our group. Linda Russell indicated
she would be interested and will follow-up and report back to the group at the
February/March meeting.
The Annual Holiday Luncheon
is scheduled for Tuesday, December 5 at Sal’s Restaurant in the Williamsburg
Shopping Center.
Lynn Smith was the guest speaker and talked with the group about past events for 2007, her challenges in staffing for events not located in the local area and upcoming events. She reported that overall the initial signature event “The Godspeed sail up the east coast was a huge success and she got much participation from civic groups. The next large event was collaboration between Yorktown 225 and Jamestown 400th since Yorktown Day happens every year it was just expanded to four days to help celebrate the 225 anniversary of the surrender at Yorktown. The next signature event was Jamestown Live where over 50 students were brought to Jamestown to participate in a web-cast program. Thousands of students participated int he web-cast across the state. All of these events are leading up to the signature event in May. The challenge will be to get enough volunteers as there are other events happening that same weekend like the Michelob Golf Championship and college graduations throughout the state of Virginia.
Minutes for September 28, 2006 Meeting
Sentara Williamsburg Community Regional Medical Center
Present:
The meeting was called to order by President Carol Schenk.
Treasurer’s Report:
The Treasurer, Lynda Nestor, could not attend so no treasurer's report was presented.
Other Business:
Introductions and announcements were made by all present. Schenk introduced meeting hosts Margaret Cullivan and Brandie Weiler.
To facilitate the walking tour, Cullivan painted a vivid portrait of the new hospital for those attending the meeting. She noted that the campus is 130 acres, explained patient room designs, outlined what buildings are on campus and discussed layout of the main hospital building. Cullivan also explained how the Get Well network is integrated into the hospital, patient security and safety considerations and the Planetree model. There are 145 beds in the hospital, plus several rehabilitation beds that have been approved and will be added soon.
Cullivan took the G.W.A.V.A. members on a tour of the new hospital facility including the lobby, maternity, chapel, several gardens, cafeteria, and patient rooms. Following the tour, Sentara Williamsburg Regional Medical Center treated G.W.A.V.A. members to lunch.
Recorded by Benjamin Goldberg, Secretary
Minutes for June 21, 2006 Meeting
Eastern State Hospital
Present:
The meeting was called to order by President Carol Schenk.
Carol distributed a current G.W.A.V.A. roster and announced upcoming events. G.W.A.V.A.’s next meeting will be in September. It is hoped the location will either be at the new Sentara Williamsburg Community Hospital or Hospice House. The holiday luncheon is scheduled for December 13th (George Spellman’s wedding anniversary) and the Professional Development Workshop will be in March 2007.
Treasurer’s Report:
The Treasurer, Lynda Nestor, reported that G.W.A.V.A. is financially solvent with $4037.91 in the account and few current expenses.
Other Business:
Introductions and announcements were made by all present. Of particular note:
Sentara Williamsburg Community Hospital will move to its new location on August 17th. There is a community open house scheduled for September 16th from 2p.m. to 5 p.m.
The new executive director at Avalon is Robin Bledsoe. G.W.A.V.A. members may wish to investigate goodsearch.com a search engine that offers users the opportunity to designate a charity to receive support as a result of their use of www.goodsearch.com.
The College of William and Mary Volunteer Fair is scheduled for September 5 and the college volunteer directory update is nearly complete.
George Spellman offered a brief recent history of Eastern State Hospital (ESH) and introduced the ESH Labyrinth as a concept. This week the state legislature approved funding of $59 millions to build out the next phase of ESH. The future of ESH is bright.
The ESH Labyrinth is a place to focus your thoughts, contemplate life and reflect on anything you deem appropriate. It is not a maze, but a path within a large circle intended to offer the opportunity to think, walk, and rejuvenate. George suggested people focus on something important to them as they walk through the Labyrinth.
Following the walk through the Labyrinth the meeting adjourned to the Dream Shop to learn about the shop and look at the merchandise.
Recorded by Benjamin Goldberg, Secretary
Minutes for September 15, 2005 Meeting
