Volunteer Concierge Program
I don’t know about you, but navigating the first year of my “for the most part retirement” has been like entering a new frontier. It was a little like planning for a vacation (albeit a long one) and imagining what it might look like but, upon arrival, it is not quite what was imagined. I had ideas of what I would like to do during these days when I assumed I would have a lot more time and a lot fewer obligations, but it all felt a bit murkier than that once I was in the middle of it. Since then (it was about a year and a half ago that I retired from my full time work), the metaphor that seems more apt is that of trying on clothing in a department store. I have an idea of what I would like to do but I try on each thing (class, activity, program, meet-up group, etc.) to see whether it fits…..Is it really what I am looking for? Does it feel right? Is it something I want to invest in.
Complementary to this I asked myself: What is missing in my life? Do I yearn for more learning? For quiet, meditative time? Physically active time? Social experiences?
Fortuitously two of my priorities for retirement have fit just right (or pretty close). I had always wanted to learn Spanish and had also imagined volunteering in my neighborhood public school once I retired. I should say that a few months before retiring from my full time work I was invited to become part of the professional staff of SAYVA which had just been funded by the Jewish Community Foundation. In addtion to consulting in general on the program, I was asked by Rabbi Feinstein who created the proposal for the grant, to develop the volunteer program. In his grant proposal he identified a number of areas he considered to have the potential to bring greater purpose to the lives of those in older adulthood and post-retirement, including volunteering. I would be researching volunteer opportunities and consulting on a new program for others (and myself as it turns out) in older adulthood. The timing was synchronistic.
What resulted from the initial groundwork is a resource list of mostly local organizations which are looking for volunteers. I say mostly local because some are not based in LA but do offer virtual opportunities. This list can be found on the SAYVA website. In addition I am available to talk with and/or meet in person with anyone interested in exploring volunteer opportunities. For many, these opportunities have the potential to bring greater meaning and purpose to one’s life. But of course each of us is seeking something different. Some may be looking for a way to share their professional experience and knowledge with a non-profit. One member of the SAYVA community has had the opportunity to bring his very specific skillset to a local non-profit which supports the unhoused and is assisting them in streamlining and getting the most for their resources. It is something he did professionally for corporate America and is now able to do for a local non-profit. Another SAYVA community member who had been an educator is not able to drive now, but a local Jewish day school needed someone to tutor a student who was behind in her studies due to an extended illness. This support could be done virtually.
Others may, however, just want to make a difference and may not care to volunteer in a capacity related to the field in which they worked professionally. There are, of course, so many needs.
If you are interested in learning more, please visit the SAYVA website. You will find the volunteer resources previously mentioned and, should you wish to talk, there is a form that can be filled out on the website as well and I will reach out upon receiving it. As well, due to the recent devastating wildfires, there are many needs related to this catastrophe. You can check out this link to learn more about related opportunities and how you can make a difference. JFEDLA Wildfire Crisis Relief Volunteer Opportunities and Donations
There are many ways to bring meaning and purpose into our lives. Volunteering is one which makes a difference for others as well. As it says in Pirkei Avot (Ethics of Our Ancestors), “It is not your duty to finish the work, but neither are you at liberty to neglect it.”
Jeff Bernhardt
SAYVA Program Consultant
Volunteer Program Concierge