Giving back: Local organizations offer variety of volunteer opportunities for all ages

Making someone smile is what Geneva Ruesler said makes her day while working as a volunteer.

Ruesler, a 75-year-old resident of Jackson and volunteer at Southeast Hospice, was one of several volunteers honored Thursday at the United Way of Southeast Missouri annual luncheon held at Drury Lodge in Cape Girardeau.

She began volunteering in 2006, after her husband past away. She said working as a volunteer really helped her after loosing her husband.

"It gave me something to look forward to every day and something to live for," she said.

Trevor Mulholland, a Southeast Missouri State University student, was also recognized for his work with the Boys and Girls Club of Cape Girardeau. He serves as the campaign coordinator for Operation Kiddos, a campaign to raise money for the purchase of a new building for the Boys and Girls Club. So far, $3,000 has been raised. Mulholland said his favorite aspect of volunteering with the Boys and Girls Club is his interaction with the children involved.

Volunteers honored during the 22nd annual volunteer recognition luncheon sponsored by the United Way of Southeast Missouri and Volunteer Intergenerational Center pose for pictures Thursday at Drury Lodge. Recognized volunteers are, seated from left, Bekki Cook, Whitney Pohlman and Rhonda Parker; second row from left, Peggy Childers, Linda Currin, Mae Cueller, Cindy Buchheit and Geneva Ruesler; back row from left, Trevor Mulholland, Dr. Patrick Ruopp. (Fred Lynch)

April is the United Way's Volunteer Month.

Nancy Jernigan, executive director of the United Way of Southeast Missouri, said the organization has about 330 volunteers ranging from high school students to retirees who all wish to make a difference.

"Once you start and you get that feeling of making a difference," she said. "It's a feeling like no other. You get hooked."

Jernigan said there is an opportunity to fit any volunteer and any schedule. For a one-time volunteer, she said a lot of not-for-profit organizations host special events, which typically need extra assistance. As an ongoing volunteer, she suggested Big Brothers Big Sisters, the Cape Area Habitat for Humanity or the Cape Girardeau Senior Center, which requires more than 20 volunteers every day to help serve lunch, as just a few organizations needing volunteers.

Jernigan said the United Way's website, www.unitedwayofsemo.org, lists information on volunteering in the area. She said websites including www.serve.gov, www.handonnetwork.org and www.inspiretoserve.org, are good resources for national volunteering. The Volunteer Intergenerational Center serving Cape Girardeau and Scott counties is also a helpful place for new volunteers to start.

Andi Malick, assistant director of the Retired Senior Volunteer Program and VIC, said volunteering is a good way to connect with the community and serves as a social avenue for people who like to help others.

She said RSVP is for volunteers 55 and older, but VIC volunteers range from as young as 2 to 101 years old. Together, the programs have 1,004 volunteers.

Malick said RSVP-VIC serves as a "one-stop shop," partnering with other not-for-profit organizations to place volunteers.

"We want to make sure that the volunteer finds a place to volunteer that they're going to be happy with and enjoy it," she said.

Volunteer opportunities available for all ages could include visiting a nursing home or picking up trash at the Cape Girardeau Conservation Nature Center, Malick said.

Other volunteer opportunities, she said, include helping sort and sell items at not-for-profit thrift stores, repackaging and sorting food at the Southeast Missouri Food Bank, or helping with children's programs at the Discovery Playhouse. Malick said those opportunities are just a few of the many available with RSVP-VIC. For more information on getting involved, visit www.vicrsvp.org.

Jernigan said she gets a great feeling after helping another person.

"I believe that is what we were created to do, to help each other," she said.

rrolwing@semissourian.com

388-3654

Pertinent address: Drury Lodge Cape Girardeau, MO