Lois Gentle has more than just the ability to run a successful volunteer program. She has the time, dedication and patience it takes to provide the elderly, the handicapped and children of all ages with the attention they need.
Six years ago, Gentle says, she wouldn`t have thought she could develop and run a volunteer program with the Lombard YMCA. She had never held a full- time job and wasn`t sure she had the ability or the necessary dedication, she says.
Today, however, she is the volunteer coordinator for the YMCA and runs its Volunteer Clearing House, which provides volunteers to social agencies, schools, libraries and offices in the Lombard area.
In January, 1982, Gentle was looking for something rewarding to do with her afternoons. She thought the idea of a volunteer network presented an exciting challenge, to see it through from start to finish and to make it work out both for her and the YMCA. ”I needed something to get up for in the morning,” Gentle says.
She says she had been talking to the YMCA`s executive director, Frank Mark, about the idea of a volunteer program that could find and place volunteers in agencies that serve the Lombard area. Gentle says she approached Mark and asked if the YMCA ”could use me.”
Mark approved the plan, and shortly afterward Gentle was placing ads in the Lombard newspapers and printing brochures to distribute in libraries, doctors` offices, beauty shops and other businesses in town.
One of the places Gentle contacted was the Morton Arboretum in Lisle. She thought it would be an interesting place to help at, that being out in nature would provide a change from an office environment. The arboretum now calls her to request gardeners or anyone interested in lending a green thumb. ”I enjoy gardening, and this is a nice way for anyone to get involved,” she says.
As word spread, agencies and businesses let Gentle know that they needed volunteers and would be open to having someone qualified come in and help. She found herself quite capable of handling the volunteer program, she says, coordinating the activities of 30 volunteers that first year. That year was
”the best,” Gentle says.
Although the number of volunteers fluctuates, the clearinghouse is still going strong. Gentle, who also does volunteer work with the program, points out, ”Volunteers come and go so quickly, and many people are busy with work and full-time jobs.”
Gentle says she likes the work`s flexibility, which allows her time to spend with her husband, Bud, who retired four years ago from his tool and die business. A great-grandmother, she likes to spend time with her family, and she also plays bridge, tennis and golf.
The clearinghouse has several programs, and volunteers can indicate their preference when they apply. The Friendly Visitor and Library Homebound programs are by far the most popular.
For the Friendly Visitor program, volunteers help the elderly and homebound with shopping and household chores. In the library program, volunteers mainly deliver and pick up books for the homebound.
”The Library Homebound is my favorite,” Gentle says. ”There`s a challenge in finding good authors that the people will enjoy and opening them up to new ones.” She enjoys reading and likes the works of novelist Cynthia Freeman as well as all mysteries and romances.
Gentle recalls a woman who, on the average, read 12 to 14 books every two weeks. ”I had to make an alphabetized list of the books for her so we wouldn`t lose track of what she had read.”
The YMCA also sponsors a Meals on Wheels program in which volunteers deliver meals to those who are unable to cook for themselves. Amy Oppenheimer, a Lombard resident who volunteers with this program, says, ”I have two little boys at home, and in a way I do this as much for them as I do for myself, to show them that we are here to help others.” She spends two to three hours a week delivering groceries and meals.
The Lexington Health Care Center, 2100 S. Finley Rd., uses the clearinghouse to find volunteers for the nursing home. Whether they play the piano and sing or share some cookies and conversation with the elderly, the company is always appreciated, Gentle says.
Gentle also has found volunteers who will type, answer telephones, work on newsletters and handle office filing. Some work at the YMCA and others donate their time to such groups as the Red Cross and the Chamber of Commerce. Blanche Johnston came to Gentle in 1983 looking for a way to help. Now 90, Johnston visits the Red Cross and helps with their newsletters. She also has been a friendly visitor to younger people, and says, ”I like meeting people and getting acquainted with a variety of folks.”
The clearinghouse also provides volunteers for various services not associated with a group. They drive the handicapped and the elderly, whether to the doctor or the corner market. They help the elderly fill out medical forms.
Hairdresser Gina Sikorski, for example, visits people in their homes on her days off to wash and style their hair.
”Some folks can`t reach a sink, say, if they`re confined to a wheelchair. I come over and do what I can to help out and make them look and feel nice,” Sikorski says. She praises the YMCA and its volunteer program:
”They`re as active as any church is.”
The Lombard YMCA, which has been open for 21 years, operates out of an office at 103 Orchard Ter. The other staff members are program director Debbie Kuramitsu, office manager Myrna Bell, senior outreach worker Mary George, secretary Jan Dalesandro and director Mark. They work like a team, Gentle says. Since the YMCA has no facility to house activities, its free programs are held all over town. Any participant in the YMCA`s programs is considered a member.
The day camp is a staff favorite. It meets in eight one-week sessions in a nearby forest preserve. ”The day camp lets the kids get dirty, hungry and tired,” Kuramitsu says with a smile.
Other offerings include Indian Guide/Indian Princess, with activities for fathers and their children; a senior outreach program, which provides one-on- one counseling to older residents; and a latchkey program for children in Lombard and Villa Park.
Gentle says that ”seniors make good volunteers because they usually have time on their hands and are conscientious and patient.”
Bill Wonnell, 67, a clearinghouse volunteer, agrees. ”We active and healthy seniors should do something for the less fortunate seniors out there,” says Wonnell. But even though he works only with seniors, he stresses that senior volunteers should work with all ages, especially children.
Wonnell contacted Gentle after leaving a career in management in 1981 and has been volunteering ever since. He heard about the YMCA`s program from a sign at the Helen M. Plum Memorial Library.
Gentle encourages people of all ages to get involved in the clearinghouse.
”There are three reasons to be a volunteer and stay one. For the younger people, you can see if you really have an interest in a certain area. Maybe you want to work with handicapped people, and volunteering can tell you if that`s what you want to commit yourself to. For everyone, you can learn new skills. And most important, it`s rewarding.”
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For information on programs offered by the Lombard YMCA and on the Volunteer Clearing House, call 629-9622.
