November 2004
All over Lubbock, we see signs encouraging us to "Support Our Troops". Have you ever thought about volunteering to support our former troops? Our veterans need your support too. The Lubbock Veterans Administration Outpatient Clinic serves approximately 10,000 patients in the West Texas region. The mission of the VA Clinic is to provide timely, ethical, compassionate, efficient and quality health care to veteran patients--and volunteers are essential to meeting that goal.
The Department of Veterans Affairs Voluntary Service (VAVS) was founded in 1946. It is the largest centralized volunteer program in the Federal government. Throughout the United States in FY 2003, volunteers contributed a total of 12,983,728 hours of service to veterans. Local volunteers have already contributed 10,420 helping hours in FY 2004. The staff of the Lubbock VA Outpatient Clinic believes that:
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Every patient is equally deserving of the very best medical care they can provide.
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Every patient should be treated with dignity and respect in all aspects of care.
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Every employee and volunteer plays an integral role in the delivery of health care to patients and their families in a manner which emphasizes their commitment to quality and compassion.
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Every employee and volunteer should contribute to and benefit from a supportive work environment that promotes continuous improvement and personal growth.
As you can see from the above statements, the volunteer is considered as a part of the clinic team to provide good healthcare. Basic healthcare services and numerous specialty clinics are offered to eligible veterans. Lubbock VA volunteers have many jobs throughout the clinic. Some of these duties include answering phones, escorting patients, assisting in the pharmacy, file room, warehouse, administration, eligibility, and other areas as necessary. The Lubbock VA volunteers enable staff to better serve patients and provide support in the day-to-day operations. Staff and veterans alike appreciate and value VA volunteers tremendously. "Support Our Former Troops"!
OTHER VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES:
SALVATION
ARMY, 1111 16th St., has a sweet short-term job for a few volunteers. As you may know, the Salvation Army makes a delicious candy that is used as a fund raiser during the fall. Volunteers may work any Thursday from 10:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. through November 11th. You may dip, box or wrap candy for distribution. This would be a great job for a group to do together.
LUBBOCK MEALS ON
WHEELS, 2304 34th St., is always in need of more drivers to help provide nutritious meals to the homebound in our community. You may be a permanent route driver or a substitute driver. Substitutes are needed frequently to help out when regular drivers may be ill or out of town. Grab a friend or a spouse to help you out if you want, and plan on doing something for others each week. Delivering meals to the homebound may be the most satisfying hour of your day. Just try it!
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!
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