Volunteers in T.O. defy a downward national trend
By Nancy Needham  nancy@theacorn.com

THANKS FOR YOUR HELP-- The city of Thousand Oaks honored volunteers recently at the Fred Kavli Theatre. Earning recognition here is Joyce Cripe of Thousand Oaks. She's been a volunteer for 12 years and has donated more than 16,500 hours of assistance, mostly with the Volunteers in Policing (VIP) program.

Thousand Oaks volunteers are in stark contrast with a new study released by the Corporation for National and Community Service that shows volunteerism is declining across the United States.

The study reports that the number of Californians who volunteer decreased by 3 percent in 2006 compared to the preceding year.

The report was compiled from U.S. Census Bureau data. According to the report, in 2006, 6.47 million volunteers gave 858.5 million hours of service in the state, work valued at about $15 billion. An estimated one in five of the volunteers donated time teaching or tutoring.

In Thousand Oaks, the Retired Senior Volunteer Program has documented an increase in volunteers and expects the numbers to continue to go up, said RSVP director Cindy Powers.

"The number of volunteers we have has increased by 10 percent over the last five years," she said. Also, the more than 1,200 volunteers have increased the number of hours donated, she said.

"Five years ago the average volunteer gave four hours a week. Now the average volunteer is giving five hours a week," she said, and that extra hour a week means 60,000 hours more of charity work done each year.

Last year the total value of work done in Thousand Oaks by RSVP volunteers was estimated at $5 million, Powers said.

RSVP volunteers are over age 55. As more baby boomers reach that age, more volunteers show up at the Goebel Senior Center to sign up.

When they do, they are put to work at a variety of organizations very happy to get the help, she said. Those groups include Meals on Wheels, Los Robles Hospital & Medical Center, Conejo Valey Free Clinic, Senior Concerns, the libraries and Volunteers in Policing.

Barbara Song, on the board of directors at the Botanic Garden, said their volunteers are mostly retired people, too. Still, the group relies on young Eagle Scouts who are "absolutely fabulous" to do a lot of the big projects, she said. They also get volunteers who are completing requirements to become certified as master gardeners.

"Our volunteer numbers have increased, but we never have enough volunteers," she said.

The 33.5-acre garden is always in motion as nature continues to move and grow. Docents are needed for the children's garden tours, she said. The garden, at 350 W. Gainsborough Road, is open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. every day.

Norma Callero, who has worked with library volunteers for 22 years and is now the volunteer manager, has also noticed an increase in volunteers. The libraries have about 150 volunteers right now who do a variety of work that includes gift store sales, checking out materials, mending, sorting and shelving books and providing genealogy research assistance, she said.

"With the baby boomers looking for things to do when they retire, we're certainly not decreasing in volunteers," Callero said.

Gardens of the World has lots of volunteers, but is always looking for more docents to help visitors enjoy the 4.5 acres of gardens representing Italian, French, Japanese and English landscapes. There is also a courtyard that replicates a California mission.

Volunteer coordinator Linda Seaman said many people are interested in volunteering, and the only challenge is to match up times when people can volunteer with the days and times volunteers are needed.

The gardens are open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day of the week except Monday.

Released last month, the report "is a wake-up call for any group that uses volunteers," said corporation CEO David Eisner.

"If you want to keep them," Eisner said, "you need to give them serious and meaningful work that affects change in your community, and you have to remember to train, manage and thank them the way you would any valued colleague."