Traditionally, I have not been much of a volunteer, much, as I am learning now, to my own detriment. “Never give it away” and “Don’t let anyone make money off you” are two of the axioms I remember from my developmental stage. Wow, were these ideas shortsighted! I am fortunate enough to have a great number of friends, and some of these friends are inveterate volunteers. By talking to these great people, getting some idea about what they get in return for their efforts, they have illustrated the benefits of involvement; whether its charitable or community-based, their lives, and the lives of unknown others, have been enhanced because of their efforts. This is all new to me, but so far, I like it…
Every one of these opportunities has left me with something positive; whether it’s a feeling of thankfulness for what I do have, a sense of community, or, as in the case of the Widener Homecoming, an appreciation for what people can do for themselves and others.
My friend, Meghan, is one of the leaders in Widener’s Alumni Relations department. Her responsibilities tend to focus around building engagement between the university and its alumni. She is accountable for relationships with regional alumni groups, homecoming, events and so forth. Meg is a good friend, so, when she asked me to help out with the event, I was happy to help, especially when she told me that my job would be to drive a golf cart around campus, giving rides to some of the more “seasoned” alumni between events.
You may not know, my gentle snowflakes, that Widener has not always been Widener. Between 1892 and 1972, what we know now as Widener University was called The Pennsylvania Military College. During its lifetime as PMC, the school produced some real military heroes as well as well known men of other sorts, including Cecil B. DeMille and Leslie Quick, Jr. The alumni of PMC are fiercely proud, and to some extent, protective, of their legacy…and understandably so. A great number of these men took what they learned and used it to serve their country, in times of peace and war, in the military, public service, or private business.
All of this helped form my initial impression of what I would be doing; basically driving older gentlemen who had graduated from PMC through a Widener campus that they might not recognize any more which housed a university that they absolutely did not. I had resigned myself to the fact that this was going to be the framework for all of the conversations that I would have that day, until Ann asked for a lift.
I was just heading back to Old Main in the leased golf cart, which, by the way, I suspected to be the loudest golf cart on the planet…imagine trying to talk about changes to the campus to an Octogenarian Veteran over the growl of a Harley-Davidson…something like that, a distraction…I was heading back to Old Main when a woman flagged me down and asked if I could give her a ride to the top of the hill to her car. “Of course”, I said, “saddle up!”
The woman, who introduced herself as “Ann”, said that being given a lift up the hill was a “Godsend”. She appeared to be around 50ish, maybe slightly younger, and talked about all of the folks who were attending homecoming. “Didn’t expect this many people for this.” “Yeah,” I responded, “pretty good turnout. We’ve (meaning the myself and the other volunteers) been moving pretty well all day. Great event and good weather will bring folks out, I guess.” She agreed. I asked if she was an alum, and she surprised me by saying “No.” My brow must have furrowed at that, as it does frequently when I am confused, which is also frequently, because she soon offered, “I’m a nursing student.” I was momentarily struck. I asked her what year she was in and she told me “I’m a sophomore.” I told her I thought that was awesome, as I am quick to describe everything that I like as “awesome.” “Yeah, thanks!” she told me. “I just transferred over from Delaware County,” referring to Delaware County Community College. “I got straight A’s and I was offered a scholarship to come here. Not doing quite as well here, I did get one C in chemistry, but overall it’s great.” Ann went on to tell me that she was a single mom and had 4 kids and was looking to do “something great” with her life and decided to go back to school and try to become a nurse. By this time we had gotten to her car, which was parked in the “tailgate” section. She thanked me for the ride and I told her, “Don’t sweat the C, Widener has some great programs in mentoring and tutoring. Take advantage of them. You’ll do great!” I hope she does…
I’ve thought about that short ride everyday since. I could not help but be impressed, affected, touched, whatever you want to call it, by Ann. She could very easily have let herself become overwhelmed by her situation, but she didn’t. She could have just accepted everything, but she didn’t. She has taken ownership of her life and has taken advantage of an opportunity to improve the situation for herself and her family. And not enough can be said for Widener, either. By giving someone like Ann, a non-traditional student, an chance to excel by granting her a scholarship says a lot about the character of the school and its vision. I hope that this is a relationship that bears a lot of fruit for both partners.
Please, gentle snowflakes, don’t misunderstand me, I am not fully altruistic in my approach, and I am very new to this. I have also volunteered for the connections and networking opportunities that these events provide. By participating in these activities, I have been able to meet folks that I may otherwise never had a chance to talk to…some of them may change my life, some won’t, most however, have been leaving an imprint, giving me the gift of their experience and their stories. Had I not agreed to help Meghan, and by proxy, Widener’s Alumni, I would never have had this experience. I would never have met Ann, or any of the other great folks; alumni, parents, staff, and a few students. Pretty valuable stuff…
So, if you can, get out and volunteer. There are a lot of causes out there that need you more than your money. You don’t know who you’ll meet or how they will impact your lives. But, if you don’t have time, your money works, too. Right now, I’ve got more time than money, so…
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