Newsmakers, December 11, 2014

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• The Importance of Volunteers

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  Non-profit agencies that depend on volunteers to help provide a service wouldn’t be able to do what they do without people who are willing to give their time to help others.

  And while the holidays are known for being a time of year when people donate money to their favorite charity, the holidays can also inspire people to give their time.

  Causeway Caregivers based in La Crosse offers volunteer services to help people remain independent in their homes, help with grocery shopping or shoveling snow. The program has more than 350 active volunteers in the Coulee Region and provides 10,000 hours of volunteer work each year. Executive Director Sara Wrobel says they see an influx of helpers around the holidays.

  “Right around Thanksgiving,” she said. “There’s just more need in the wintertime with shoveling, and helping people get out. This is the time when we internally reflect and see if there’s something we can do to help.” (others)

  At Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Seven Rivers Region, about 500 adult volunteers provide one on one mentoring to young people. The time requirement is only a couple of hours a week, and match specialist Justin McKnight says he likes to see adults help children with school work or social skills, but it’s easy to accomplish positive mentoring in very routine ways.

  “You can have amazing conversations while you’re waiting in line at the grocery story,” he said. “It’s really about building that relationship and communicating with a child in really meaningful ways.”

  The American Red Cross has 3,000 volunteers in Wisconsin including 150 in western Wisconsin’s Scenic Bluffs chapter. The Red Cross is looking for volunteers in a variety of positions throughout the year, including health care workers and counselors to help victims of disasters. During the holidays, volunteers help a lot with blood drives.

  Annie Taff is director of volunteer services with the American Red Cross in Wisconsin. She says whether it’s the Red Cross or some other agency, it’s important to give one’s time to help.

  “Whatever pulls on their heart strings,” she said. “As they give of themselves, even if it is just an hour, they’ll find themselves changed in that process, and they’ll learn a lot, not only about the community, but about themselves as well.”

• A Volunteer's Story

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  It would be a nicer world if everyone who lives in it would give something back. That’s the philosophy that Judy Bouffleur tries to live her life by.

  The La Crosse woman has been one of the most prolific volunteers in the area for decades.

  She’s been a part of some of the long-lasting projects that give joy to thousands of people each year. Bouffleur helped co-found the La Crosse Community Thanksgiving Dinner in 1983 and The Gertrude Salzer Gordon Children’s Museum in the late 90’s.

  “When I think about volunteering, I think a lot of people think ‘I can’t do that,’” she said. “No matter what your station is in life, whether you are wealthy or poor, you always have something to give. If you just give it a try, your life becomes more rewarding for what you have done.”

  Bouffleur says she volunteers because she likes people. Most of her volunteer work is centered around children, education or music. She’s plays piano and has been an accompanist at her church, for the Riverfront Singers, and for 32 years, she’s played piano for La Crosse Longfellow Middle School concerts. Bouffler says she’s very selective about what volunteering opportunities she accepts.

  “The arts and humanities are really important to me,” she said. “When I do volunteer, it has to be something that means something to me. If it’s not benefitting people, I don’t waste my time.”

  Bouffleur says volunteering can be a little selfish, it’s not only what you give as a volunteer but what you can receive in return for your work. She believes volunteering keeps her young, and she often tries to steer people toward volunteering their time.

  “When people have worked, and they’re looking forward to their retirement, and they think ‘oh, I can’t wait to not have to get up in the morning,’ a lot of them, if they’d just go out and volunteer somewhere, they’d feel a lot better and a lot younger,” she said. “I don’t think I act or feel as old as I am. You have to have something in your life that inspires you to do volunteer work.”

  Bouffleur recently received the 2014 AARP Wisconsin Andrus Award for her volunteer work.