Last week, President Bush issued a call for a new dimension of volunteerism: He’s asking Americans to help fight the war against terrorism on the home front by serving their communities.
That includes helping police, fire and rescue agencies and also being vigilant in reporting suspicious activity — sort of an enhanced community watch program.
A number nonprofit organizations in Moore County will probably have a role to play in Bush’s expanded program, which he calls the USA Freedom Corps. Bush suggested that every American devote 4,000 hours, or two years of his or her life, to helping as a volunteer.
Bush, following up on one of the themes from his State of the Union address, pitched his ideas on volunteerism during a visit to Winston-Salem last week.
“If people did that, it would really be wonderful,” said Linda Hubbard, volunteer coordinator for the Moore County Schools. “I think people will respond.
Last year, 3,657 people volunteered in the schools, an 88 percent increase over the year before, Hubbard said. That includes everything from tutoring students to planting flowers to doing clerical work.
“That is a pretty awesome total,” Hubbard said. “Volunteers make a huge difference for students and teachers.”
FirstHealth Moore Regional Hospital encourages its employees to volunteer in the schools, Hubbard said. The hospital itself also relies on a huge cadre of volunteers.
June Vetter, executive director of the Moore County Literacy Council, also hopes people will heed Bush’s call. The Literacy Council is always in need of trained volunteers to tutor students and adults and help with administrative chores.
“People can actually see at the end of the month that they have contributed these hours to help the community,” Vetter said.
The Southern Pines Police Department has been using civilian volunteers for years, according to Police Chief Gerald Galloway.
Janet Currie, who recently retired as a state juvenile court counselor, started work Jan. 1 as the department’s first community services coordinator, Galloway said Thursday.
“Volunteer people do a good job in areas they volunteer to work in,” he said.
The Police Department has a victims assistance program run by a full-time employee, Janet Kahr. Three volunteers help with clerical work and with providing assistance to crime victims. That program deals with keeping families and victims informed on the progress of court cases and unsolved crimes.
“Our Community Service Volunteer is having field training and will go to a school in February preparing to move forward with programs that might result in more ways to use volunteers,” Galloway said.
The community services coordinator will interact between the Police Department and residents, and coordinating the community oriented policing program that is already established.
“Ms. Currie already has a good bit of experience and is familiar with the area,” Galloway said.
A number of towns and communities in Moore County have community watch programs, in which residents simply watch for suspicious activity and report it to the law enforcement agency responsible for that area.
Moore County Emergency Services Management Director Steady Meares said the county has a procedure for responding to emergencies using certified, trained staff and personnel.
Renewed interest in defense resulted in some phone calls the first couple of weeks after Sept. 11 to several emergency agencies from people wanting to know if there was something they could do to help.
Meares said he was recently asked by representatives of the Seven Lakes Landowners Association for advice about updating their disaster plan for the gated community.
“We discussed the use of volunteers, training and putting them in place,” Meares said.
Many Americans may be asking about what they can do to help the country in the defense against terrorism. Local nonprofit organizations say they are ready to help should new agencies express the need and willingness to use volunteers.
Peggy Crutchfield, executive director of the United Way of Moore County, and Joan Poole, executive director of the Moore County Chapter of the American Red Cross, will visit New York City in February to volunteer.
Crutchfield will be taking applications for family services from people who keep coming in looking for help.
Poole, whose agency is almost totally run by volunteers, will work in the area of training.
One idea Crutchfield has to respond to Bush’s call would be to convene a group of community leaders, law enforcement officers and fire and emergency personnel to talk about how they might be able to use volunteers.
“We get an awful lot of calls from people wanting to volunteer,” Crutchfield said. “We do direct them to agencies.”
Most nonprofit and government agencies have their own ways of recruiting, training and using volunteers who come directly to them. The county has a department that serves as a volunteer clearinghouses, the Retired Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP), where people age 55 and older may put their name on the list to be referred to agencies that need volunteers.
But RSVP Director Susan Holmes said the agency can act as a clearinghouse for people of all ages looking for volunteer opportunities in any field. It will become an official volunteer center in a few months when special certification comes through, she added.
