David' Story: Our Volunteer Spotlight
By Erin Pankow | Volunteer & Community Outreach Manager
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David volunteers for VOAWW's Retired Senior Volunteer Program (RSPV) in Skagit Valley. David joined the RSVP Advisory Council five months ago for the purpose of helping RSVP use best practices to ensure everything was being done to make volunteer opportunities available and accessible to people with disabilities. David reaches out and recruits people with disabilities to volunteer, share their expertise, and help seniors not feel so isolated.
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David volunteers for VOAWW's Retired Senior Volunteer Program (RSPV) in Skagit Valley. David joined the RSVP Advisory Council five months ago for the purpose of helping RSVP use best practices to ensure everything was being done to make volunteer opportunities available and accessible to people with disabilities. David reaches out and recruits people with disabilities to volunteer, share their expertise, and help seniors not feel so isolated.
Lisa Gray, RSVP Director says, "David makes presentations to after-school students to dispel myths about what it's like to be disabled." He talked about how, when he was young, he was told "he shouldn't go to college because he would never be able to do anything. He was also told that he would just end up living in a nursing home." David went on to college and is now employed at Chinook Enterprises in Skagit County. David also volunteers at the local Middle School to help tutor the children, talk to them, and be there for them to support with their mobility aides.
David has played a key role in helping to develop the Mobility Project, a collaborative community project between many community groups, such as: Lion's Club, as they procure donations and stores mobility aides until the Mobility Project core group can refurbish them to get them ready for use. Mobility aides include: manual chairs, crutches, and walkers for seniors. The equipment, mostly purchased with Medicaid dollars, is donated by the families when people no longer need the items. The project involves: the Mount Vernon School District, the Senior Centers in Skagit County, VOAWW's RSVP Program & Advisory Council in Skagit Valley, Chinook Enterprises, and Don Hill - an RSVP community volunteer who brought the Lion's Club into the Mobility Project effort. In addition to these support agencies, a partnership with LaVenture Middle School pairs students with senior volunteers to fix up the mobility equipment, make them safer and in better condition. The repaired equipment will then be placed in lending closets in senior centers through Skagit County so that seniors will have access to free, safe, and empowering mobility.
David comments, "We've come a long way in Skagit County. There's still work to be done to create more mobility assistance, transportation, accessible facilities, and employment opportunities for people with disabilities. I believe that if I help people with disabilities, this will help the community."
Currently, David is working on recruiting RSVP volunteers to help put on monthly game nights for people with disabilities. These game nights will be held at Chinook Enterprises. Volunteers of America's Disability Services staff refer their clients to participate in these game nights. Another fun thing, David's involved in is People First, where he serves as President for the past thirteen years. They will be holding a dance at Skagit Valley College on April 29th and May 20th from 6pm - 8pm. Interested volunteers should contact Lisa Gray (
lgray@voaww.org | (425)542-8485) or David Wilder (425)428-0140 for more information.
David just returned from a trip down to Olympia, where he was honored by Governor Chris Gregoire in receiving the 2011 Volunteer Service Award. We're very happy to have him volunteer with us at Volunteers of America Western Washington. He's truly an inspiration to us all. Thank you David for all you do!