CNY Volunteers
ACR Volunteers Inspire by Example
If AIDS Community Resources didn’t have volunteers, it would have to hire more than six full-time employees, raise about $220,000 to pay them, and cancel most of its fundraising events. Over the course of a year, 386 people shared their time and resources with AIDS Community Resources in ACR’s nine county service area in the Central, Northern, and Mohawk Valley regions of New York. This number doesn’t include the two thousand or so who participate in ACR’s main fundraising events.
During National Volunteer Week (April 15 – 21, 2007), AIDS Community Resources saluted its Central New York volunteers at the Spaghetti Warehouse in Syracuse. Because they work at different times on different projects, many volunteers aren’t acquainted with one another, and this gave them the opportunity to
One job that takes volunteers out of the office is street outreach with the Safety First Project. Evan, second from left in the accompanying picture, has volunteered for two years with the outreach van. Evan says he likes the one on one contact with people, and admits to sometimes being surprised by the community’s reactions. “I hate to sound stereotypical, but there are certain sections of the city where I get a little nervous, worried,” Evan said. “Then a lady comes up to the van and wants me to come to her front porch and talk to her kids about safer sex and HIV. Her son was 14 and her daughter was 15.”
Volunteers help AIDS Community Resources staff be more effective in many ways. “There’s no way possible our fundraising events could be held,” said Volunteer Coordinator Mary Doody. “At the AIDS Walk/Run (coming up June 3rd at Beaver Lake Nature Center) I recruit more than 120 people for every imaginable task.”
Altogether, volunteers clocked almost 12,000 hours with AIDS Community Resources last year. Some sign on for just one event; others, like Evan, work with the outreach van several times each month. “I am amazed at the response of people,” Evan said. They treat us as friends; we’re a community connection for them.”
CAPTION: April 20, 2007, Syracuse: National Volunteer Week is the largest volunteer recognition event in the country. AIDS Community Resources thanked CNY volunteer at Spaghetti Warehouse. Pictured at that event from left; AIDS Community Resources’ Karen Loftin, with volunteers Evan, Edward, Lynn, Robert, Francis, and Sheryl.