Today’s story about Make A Difference Day activities comes from Nicolette Winner, HandsOn West Central Ohio’s Director.

I have a new favorite number, and it’s more impressive than you might think.

As a relatively new HandsOn Action Center that has grown out of a longtime Retired and Senior Volunteer Program, the HandsOn Network motto “Be the Change.” has presented its fair share of challenges in our region over the past two years.  Whereas many have deemed our primary volunteer, the older adult, as one that typically resists change, we’re finding some unexpected new opportunities to make a bigger difference in our four rural counties north of Dayton, Ohio.

There’s no question that this year’s Make a Difference Day was an incredible success.  We saw five times the number of volunteers at twice as many projects during our second year of hosting this event, bringing our total to more than 700 volunteers completing 40 service projects.  We saw children make 1,000 pieces of artwork for homebound seniors, groups collect thousands of pounds of food for local food pantries, two groups collect nearly 1,700 pounds of pet food and supplies for two animal shelters, and three local salons hand out 200 free haircuts to children in Head Start programs.  The diversity of our volunteers was impressive too.  Infants through our most seasoned RSVP volunteers participated in service projects, and companies signed up to give back along with partners from local churches and schools.  That’s huge in our rural four-county region of just 200,000 people, especially when you consider my biggest driving challenges regionally seem to be following either a tractor or a horse and buggy!

What melts my heart the most in the midst of so much success?  19.

With all of those amazing stats, you might wonder why I’m stuck on the number 19?  It’s certainly not a big number.  It’s probably not something that would be media-worthy.  Heck, it’s not even one of those milestone birthdays or the number of people our tiny HandsOn Action Center has on staff.  So what is it about the number 19 that drives me wild?

We had 19 RSVP volunteers participate in Make a Difference Day this year.  NINETEEN!  What did they do that was so different from their everyday volunteering?  They tried something new, something so unlike their usual activities that it actually made my heart skip a little beat!  And they loved it!  Kay, a CASA/GAL volunteer and long term care ombudsman, was thrilled to work side-by-side with her granddaughter as they sorted art supplies.  Sandra, a former dental hygienist who educates Head Start parents about good oral hygiene, guided guests through a scare crow walk featuring handmade scarecrows made of recycled materials at a local nursing facility.  Elsie, who delivers posters for upcoming art shows and visits residents at a nursing facility, lent her hands to a two week art project that helped 450 elementary school students create 1,000 pieces of artwork for homebound seniors.

The success in these 19 amazing volunteers isn’t that they took on new roles.  It’s that they tried out something new in addition to their regular activities, and they appreciated being asked to help.  So many times we as professionals secretly harbor a fear of rejection, or worse yet a fear or asking a volunteer to take on too much too fast, but these volunteers thanked us for personally calling them to invite them to participate.  How different would our work be if we viewed every opportunity to volunteer as just that…  an opportunity, instead of an obligation?

Nicolette Winner serves as HandsOn West Central Ohio Director for Council on Rural Services.  She holds a Bachelor of Arts in public relations and is currently pursuing her CVA (Certified Volunteer Administrator) credential.  President of the Ohio Volunteer Center Association, she was named Outstanding Volunteer Administrator by the Miami Valley Association of Volunteer Administrators in 2008 and one of Dayton’s Forty Under 40 by Dayton Business Journal in 2009.

———————————————————————————————————————

Get HandsOn Tag Challenge Update!

Yesterday’s Get HandsOn Tag Master was Dana Friedman!  Dana has won a pair of round trip tickets on JetBlue, $25 for herself, and $100 for his favorite charity!

Today’s Celebrity Tag is Johnny Depp!  Tag Johnny for swag!