MCIRC Meetings 2007-2008
DATE: Thursday, June 5th
TIME: 9:00-10:30am
TOPIC: Recruiting and Retaining Volunteers
SPEAKER: Kathleen Meaney Stobie, RSVP Coordinator
PLACE: Interages
3950 Ferrara Drive, 2nd Fl
Wheaton, MD 20906
Kathleen will speak to us about the most effective ways of recruiting volunteers, seniors in particular, and how to keep them coming back.
DATE: Friday, April 25th
TOPIC: Alternative Means of Transportation and Program Members
SPEAKER: Gabe Albornoz, Director, Montgomery County Deparment of Recreation
Gabe will speak directly to the need for additional transportation – for senior citizens and for students – and facilitate a brain-storming discussion on ideas for improving services and gaps in current services.
DATE: Tuesday, March 25th.
TOPIC: The American Association for the Advancement of Science/Senior Scientist and Engineers SSE Science Volunteer Program (AAAS/SSE Science Volunteer Program) in Montgomery County Public Schools.
SPEAKER: Dave Weiss, AAAS/SSE Science Volunteer The Senior Scientists and Engineers (SSE) of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) have partnered with the Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) to implement the MCPS Science Volunteer Project (MCPS SVP). This successful project benefits MCPS as well as the science and engineering professionals who serve as volunteers.
The first meeting for 2007-2008.
The topic discussed: Intergenerational Programs and Older Adult Facilities. Speakers included: Barbara Duncan, Assistant Director at Brighton Gardens of Friendship Heights in Chevy Chase; Susan Zanner, Activities Director at Collingswood in Rockville; and Nancy Piness, Volunteer Program Coordinator at Riderwood in Silver Spring.
Key points:
· Interacting with children provides seniors in adult facilities a better sense of self-esteem and a connection to the community at large.
· Intergenerational programs create opportunities for volunteers of all ages to share their gifts in an environment that celebrates life
· To be successful when volunteering in schools, we need to make strong connections with the PTA presidents and school administrators in the Montgomery County Public School System.
After the speakers had finished their presentations, there was an exchange of information and discussion of common concerns. Several issues stood out: 1) Partnering with others; 2) How to make connections in our schools, county government and other organizations; 3) Exploring untapped resources to find alternative forms of transportation for both students and seniors, while addressing liability and practicality. It was decided that our next meeting would focus on making strong connections with the PTA and school administrators. The second meeting was held January 24, 2008.
The topic: Program Models for Long-Term Community Connections; the speaker was Jane de Winter, President of the Montgomery County Council of Parent-Teacher Associations.
Key points:
· The purpose of the PTA is to support and speak for the children, help improve parenting skills through training and encourage parent participation in their child’s education.
· PTAs are under a great deal of stress due to a larger student population, fewer PTA members, less funding and language barriers.
Who to contact in the schools to get our program’s message out:
· Most schools have a volunteer coordinator or after-school program coordinators.
· Schools can post information on a Listserv, a countywide computer bulletin board.
· Each school should sponsor a Volunteer Orientation each fall. Find out when it is and make arrangements to be there and if possible give a presentation.
· Send out program information before the school year starts. If a PTA president has not been installed, simply address the information to “President of the PTA” of the particular school.
· Non-profits can make arrangements to give a presentation at a PTA meeting(s).
· Each school has a designated area to display your program’s promotional materials.
· Use the PTA newsletter to advertise your program.
· The MCCPTA holds eight delegate assemblies each year. Folders with information are provided to the delegates every month. To find out how to get your program materials included in these folders, go to MCCPTA.com and look at Delegates’ Assemblies. There is a lot of other useful information listed on the website.
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