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Guest Post by Ann Swain

I think if those of us who manage volunteers were asked to describe our view of the perfect volunteer, most of us would have a pretty definite idea what that volunteer would look like and how they would present themselves. I was always told that first impressions are often the only impression we get a chance to make. When I was quite young, I remember my dad would say “you don’t always get a chance to explain yourself. Make sure that what people see is the message you want people to receive from you.” Not everyone, however, had someone like my dad to coach and guide them throughout life’s journey. Sometimes, that first encounter we have of a prospective volunteer might be the very moment in someone’s life that changes them in a way we or they could never imagine. First impressions are not always accurate.

I’ll never forget the day John walked into our office. Actually, he shuffled, head held down looking at his tattered boots with somewhat of a coat draped over loose fitting overalls. The knitted cap on his head had holes and was badly in need of a good washing, as was the rest of his clothing. You might imagine John had not been near a bath or shower for some time as the room filled with the smell of oil from a motor that didn’t work; dirt from the garden long ago forgotten, but mostly from neglect.

John’s wife of 52 years had died several months earlier. She always took care of their needs like grocery shopping, paying the bills and even bringing in the money to pay for it all. Now that she was gone, no one knew how John was getting on. He had worked in his younger days fixing old motors of various types and other odd jobs. Since his wife died, no one had seen him in the grocery store or even at the post office to collect his monthly social security check. John never spoke to anyone except for a grunt or grumble. But there he was, standing in our volunteer program office wanting to talk to someone about becoming a volunteer. It was actually a volunteer from another program who told John about our volunteer program, which was designed for one-to-one friendly visits and assistance. The other program volunteer had seen John visiting his wife in the hospital and was concerned about what might happen to him when his wife was gone.

John had been told that our program helped people stay in their own homes by helping them with errands, getting them to doctor appointments and enjoying friendly visits. The Program Manager told John he had to be 60 years old to apply to the program and must attend monthly trainings with other volunteers. After talking a bit, it was clear John fit the criteria. However, the Program Manager wasn’t sure how John would work out. He needed to clean up and stay that way; he needed to be able to talk to people and function on his own. The Program Manager talked to John about these concerns and he said he would like to try. They set a time for John to return to the Program office and they would plan a visit to see his first client.

John returned to the office at the appointed date and time, cleaned up with freshly washed clothes and a little bit of a grin on his face. The Program Manager had found some folks for John to visit several times a week within his own community. It wasn’t long before John could be seen smiling his way through the grocery store doing his own shopping, chatting with people he’d known for years but never really talked to. The homebound folks he visited enjoyed John and all the stories they shared. The community enjoyed watching John change from a man who wanted to hide in the shadows to someone who enjoyed the company of others, self assured and independent. Not only was John helping others maintain their independence, John himself had acquired an independence he had never known. If it hadn’t been for another volunteer and the Program Manager seeing through that first impression, John may never have known about the volunteering and may never have known the independence he was able to enjoy.

The day John walked into the office in his disheveled state, it would have been easy for the Program Manager to chat for a minute and turn him away. It would have been easy to decide this man was not nor could be a person suited for volunteering. But the Program Manager took the time not only to talk to John and look past his appearance, but also to give him direction for participation as a volunteer with very specific guidance on what he needed to do in order to become a volunteer with the program.

Managers of volunteer programs don’t always get to know the whole story when a potential volunteer walks through the door. It cannot truly be predetermined what a volunteer experience will do for someone. No doubt John’s experience changed his life, even for a brief time. John was able to volunteer for 13 months before he died. No one in his community knew he had been battling cancer. But everyone knew that the last 13 months of his life, he experienced a fulfillment he had never known. Thankfully, first impressions don’t always count

Ann Swain is the Director of the Senior Companion Program at the University of Maine Cooperative Extension.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, April 22nd, 2008 at 6:40 pm and is filed under Recruitment. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.