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Our featured volunteer station this month is the AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY (ACS), which maintains a local field office at 3411-73rd St. in Lubbock. As you probably know, ACS is a nationwide, community-based, voluntary health organization. It is dedicated to eliminating cancer as a major health problem by preventing it, saving lives and diminishing suffering through research, education, advocacy and service. To accomplish these goals, the American Cancer Society has various service programs to provide information about cancer, resources, and guidance to patients and their families; home patient care equipment; where available, free hotel rooms for patients and their families traveling for treatment; volunteer transportation; and patient support and patient visitation programs. Many of these programs could not exist without the caring assistance of volunteers. Several core committees provide year around public education and promotion and welcome new members who might have an interest in areas of Tobacco Control, Breast Cancer Detection, Nutrition Physical Activity, Prostate Cancer Awareness, Colon Cancer Awareness, Comprehensive School Health Education, Volunteer Involvement and Community Presence, and Income Development. 

The American Cancer Society provides help for individuals dealing with the diagnosis, treatment, and survival of cancer by connecting them with information at their web site, www.cancer.org, or by phone at 1-800-227-2345. The 800 number is manned 24/7 and an oncology nurse is available to discuss concerns.

Locally, the greatest need for volunteers is in the Road to Recovery Program that provides cancer patients with transportation to and from scheduled treatment appointments. Volunteer drivers donate both their time and the use of their personal vehicles to assist patients. You are not asked to assist wheelchair patients. Lack of transportation has become a major problem for many cancer patients. They may need daily or weekly treatments, often over a period of months and simply have no transportation. Although family and friends may be asked to help, there are often just too many appointments for them to handle. Please consider helping a cancer patient to be a cancer survivor on the Road to Recovery.

OTHER VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES:

BIG BROTHERS BIG SISTERS, 1706 23rd, has several volunteer activities that will help children who need another adult in their lives. Mentoring volunteers need to make a one year commitment to meet with a child once a week for at least 2 hours doing activities they both enjoy. Or, if you like office work, staff support volunteers are needed in their offices a few hours a week to help with different projects. Volunteer board members meet once a month to discuss agency policy and activities and help with fundraising efforts. Something for everyone!

CONTACT saves lives and you can help. Volunteers are trained to answer the crisis line, make a presentation about “Choices” to teens or work with children through the “NO-Bullying program. FREE training on topics including active listening, problem solving, grief, suicide, self-care, depression, addiction and abuse will give you skills that can help you in your personal life as well as in your volunteer work for CONTACT. The training will be held at the Green Lawn Church of Christ Fellowship Hall on Tues-Thurs evenings and daytime Saturdays from February 15th through the 26th. 

To volunteer, or for more information about these or other volunteer positions, please call the RSVP office at 742-2423.

HOW do I join RSVP?
Becoming a member of RSVP is simple as long as you are at least 55 and have some time to volunteer. Just call the office at 742-2423 and chat with Ronda Casey or Bonne Phillips about your interests. If you are not certain what you would like to do, we can mention several current volunteer opportunities and send you a list of the sort of jobs which RSVP members are presently doing to whet your appetite. If you have a special skill or talent that you would like to utilize, we will search to find just the right job for you. Just mail in the enrollment form (requires Adobe Reader) and we will call you!