Amid drop in volunteers, Twin Cities care community calls for help: "It doesn't take much"
MINNEAPOLIS — Many families will have extra time on their hands in the days ahead. With people off work and kids out of school, volunteering might be a useful and enriching way to fill your schedule.
We also learned this year that the need is great. Volunteering countrywide is down 7% in recent years, the largest drop in the last two decades.
WCCO visited Mount Olivet Careview Home, a long-term care community, to see how it's navigating those challenges while offering a helping hand.
Erin Hassanzadeh and Jeff Wagner are not artists by any means. Good thing their skills with markers were not what drew them to the many tables where residents were crafting at Mount Olivet Careview Home. Meanwhile, volunteer Elona Graff was making the rounds. She visited every table to share quick conversations with every resident. Her husband volunteers there as well.
"We brought my mom here in 2016 and she lived here for two years. She was treated so well. We loved the people that worked with her, and so after she passed away in 2018, we decided to give back and come and volunteer," said Graff.
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On this day, that means creating luminaries along with some colorful conversation, the latter of which is most important to Laurie Hancer. She's the volunteer manager.
"It's interaction with the residents. It's making them feel welcome. Making them feel a part of something. Making them feel wanted," she said.
There are nearly 10 volunteers in the room today. A big number when you consider the lean times of recent past.
"I started this position in September of 2019 and then in March of 2020 everything shut down. I had zero volunteers," she said of how the pandemic severely impacted the volunteering program.
Once they reopened to allow volunteers back in, some had aged out, lost interest, or couldn't find the time to visit anymore.
"Overall, I think it is a harder time finding volunteers. It's a harder time finding people who are not working during the day. Many of my programming opportunities are during the day," said Hancer.
She's not alone in that struggle. Volunteerism has dropped significantly nationwide. One event, the Holiday in Lights at the Anoka County Fairgrounds, had to cancel this year due to a lack of volunteers.
"We have to search a little further (for volunteers). The online presence is nice. I have advertised on quite a few sites online to get people," she said.
For those concerned about the time commitment for volunteering, Hancer said she doesn't have a minimum time requirement. That flexibility means a volunteer could pop into Mount Olivet for one hour or four hours.
"I tell the volunteers when I onboard them that I want them to feel comfortable. I want them to be happy with what they're doing. And I don't want them to look at their calendar and go, 'Oh shoot, I have to go volunteer now,'" she said.
Graff's enthusiasm makes it seem as thought she's never had a problem with visiting Mt. Olivet. Her passion for connecting with the residents is reciprocated by their smiles and appreciation for her time.
"We just feel like we're giving back to somebody and it just makes us feel good that we made somebody smile or feel like somebody cares about them," said Graff.
Erin and Jeff initially thought the arts and crafts is what they came to do. But no matter the activity they realized it was the connection made with the residents that made volunteering at Mt. Olivet worthwhile. It's a message Graff hopes others will take to heart.
"It doesn't take very much to just come over for an hour, hour and a half and just give something back to people," she said.
If you'd like to volunteer at Mount Olivet Careview home, you can call them at 612-827-5677.
