 Our Volunteer Annual Appreciation Dinner is typically held in February, with nearly 250 volunteers and guests attending, pre-Covid. Volunteers enjoy a lovely dinner, and those with one, five, ten, fifteen and twenty years of service are recognized. A wonderful time is had by all.
Volunteer Opportunities A small group of volunteers has been setting up the Dinner/Auctions for the past several years and the group would like to see some new faces to begin carrying this load. Volunteers put in extra hours about once each quarter ...several consecutive hours the day before and the day of the event. If interested, please contact one of our Volunteer Coordinators. Some typical openings...
We send announcements to Church Bulletins about our needs for volunteers. If your church would like to be notified as well, ContactUs, put Church Bulletin in the subject line, and mention that you would like to receive the notices by email. SVDP is an all-volunteer non-profit helping the poor and needy. Our volunteers come from all walks of life and religious affiliations. Consider volunteering today! |
Our Volunteer CoordinatorsOur coordinators have a big job, actually two jobs. They need to be constantly sourcing and placing volunteers and also reaching out to the community to create relationships that will benefit SVDP over time. Most often the coordinators are the first contact many people have with us, so it’s critical that they present us in the most positive light. Potential volunteers carry lots of impressions back into the community that can effect future recruiting.
The recruiting process begins with our Conference Presidents. Our Presidents are key in keeping the coordinators informed of what positions need to be filled and what kind of skills and qualities are most critical. Once this information is in hand, the coordinators can swing into action. Potential volunteers are secured through a number of sources: presentations to local churches, notices in church bulletins and local papers, postings on our highway signboard, walk ins and, most importantly, through current volunteers. Our current volunteers are very important because they can “sell” SVDP by talking about their experiences here, plus help others to appreciate some of the hidden advantages of volunteering; building a new circle of friends, feeling a sense of value by giving back, and often, most importantly, actually getting back even more than they give. Also, when new people are recommended by current volunteers, we have a much better picture of the person’s talents and capabilities plus a better chance of the person staying because they already have a friend and confidant here. Volunteers come from all walks of life and religious affiliations. They do not have to be Catholic, as a matter of fact nearly one third of our volunteers are not Catholic. They only need to want to serve others. Email/Mail/Bring in the below Volunteer Application or Call the Volunteer Coordinator's direct line at 541.772.3828, ext. 7, if you would like to volunteer. Volunteer Application 
Some of our volunteers:
Initially Wayne Robinson volunteered in the kitchen during the summer while he was still teaching at Eagle Point Junior High. After two or three summers, Wayne switched to the Office Conference where he worked for the next six summers. Besides helping with the office work Wayne also started helping write grants. When he retired about five years ago, he planned to increase his commitment but was limited by a medical condition. Finally, two years ago Wayne started to work in the Thrift Store repair shop. This was a natural choice, because Wayne likes to work on things. He also likes woodworking which he does in his spare time. Because of this interest, besides working in the shop, he always has his eyes open for special needs around the facility.
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Phil Horner and his wife Maggie were attending Sunday mass at Shepherd of the Valley when Father Mike made an appeal for parishioners to volunteer at St. Vincent de Paul. A little later Phil called SVDP and got involved, first as part of the Central Point, St. Augustine Home Visits Conference and later as a counselor in Social Services. Phil says he really likes working with the people at SVDP and is impressed by the contributions everybody makes. Phil works in Social Services on Fridays.
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In 1998, Jackie Cavanaugh was considering what to do for Lent and, as she says, “I thought to myself, why give something up again this year? Why not instead give time for something special.” So she decided to volunteer during Lent at Saint Vincent de Paul. Well, she got so involved in the experience that she never left.“I’ve stayed through thick and thin, mostly because Karen McNeilly (now Store Manager) so inspired me. I watched her deal with so many different things and not become discouraged. She would remind me to just keep my eye on the ball... helping the poor... and just keep moving forward.” Jackie worked in all areas of the Store and often just came in and asked where she was most needed. Jackie continues to love working at SVDP. She likes collecting antique dishes and never fails to find lots of lovely things in the Store, particularly at the yearly Collectible Sale. “This is the greatest guilt free shopping there is, every penny helps someone somewhere.”
Thank You to all our many Volunteers! We could not do it without you!
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