Thursday, March 10, 2016

Reynolds Cares with Nancy Mihalko, Grants & Development Research Manager

In an effort to encourage more Reynolds employees to get involved in volunteering and to highlight some of the valuable community service efforts that our employees are already engaged in, the Reynolds LEADS team recently interviewed several Reynolds employees about their experience as volunteers in the local community. This is the second installment of the "Reynolds Cares" series.

Q: Can you describe your volunteer effort(s)? What group do you serve and what is their mission?
 
NM: I volunteer for Meals on Wheels here in Richmond, an organization that delivers meals to elderly & shut-in individuals who cannot get out to buy and prepare their own meals. MoW partners with the local food bank, and divides the service area into small segments, where volunteers deliver foods to multiple clients in a given area. Clients pay what they are able to, on sliding scale and some may not be able to pay at all, but it is an important mission. MoW is an amazing organization; they have a really large network of volunteers here in Richmond and they are incredibly well-organized. When volunteers pick up the prepared foods, they are given detailed directions to the client locations, and MoW keeps track of all dietary restrictions clients may have. 

I began organizing a Reynolds volunteer group in 2007, and we now have about 20 people from Advancement, the Office of Institutional Effectiveness, and Marketing & Communications who take turns volunteering in pairs. We make deliveries the 3rd Friday of each month. We are assigned to an area close to the college.  Volunteers pick up the prepared meals and make deliveries to around 16 clients, which takes about 2 ½ hours. 

Q: How or why did you get involved in volunteering?

NM: I started volunteering with a friend about 12 years ago, who got involved with Meals on Wheels through her workplace. When her work group started falling apart, I thought I’d try to get a group from Reynolds together.  Also, at the time I stated I had elderly parents who lived in another state, whom I couldn’t visit as often as I would have liked. So this gave me the opportunity to feel like I was helping someone’s else’s parents out, and giving back.  

It has been well worth it; you wouldn’t believe how gratifying it is. Some of the people we see are just so happy to see someone, and so grateful. The food is not as important as the human contact—they need the nutrition, but more than that, they need the human contact. And this organization provides both. 

Q: Do your volunteer efforts impact your job at Reynolds?

NM: I use my volunteer leave time, which is 16 hours per year, and it has never run out. This year I will probably use 8-10 hours. I got a great response when I sent out the email to see if people would be interested. 

Q: Do you have any tips for others who want to get involved?

NM: Just take the plunge! The volunteer leave time is there to use, and [college] leadership has been very supportive. It helps to have a group, so that no one person feels like they are taking on more than they can handle. And once a month feels more manageable. You do need someone to coordinate the effort, who can keep people organized and on schedule with the volunteer commitments, otherwise the whole thing can fall apart. And I try to keep a log and send everyone who volunteers in the MoW group a LEAP award, so that they feel appreciated.