Renewed spirit
With so much going on at Greenspring, the opportunities for people to volunteer their time are limitless. Freda Burner, an active member in the Dogs of Greenspring (DOG) group, turned her love of dogs into smiles for those living at Renaissance Gardens, Greenspring’s on-site health care neighborhood.
“One day I thought, ‘Why don’t we start a pet therapy program?’” Burner says. “I discussed this with resident Kay McCurdy another pet lover and member of the pet therapy program who agreed. I went to meet with Elke and she though it was a wonderful idea.”
After providing training to both the pet owners and dogs, the Greenspring volunteers were ready to spring into action. “We visit Renaissance Gardens twice a month,” Burner says. “Everyone gets so excited and many now know our dogs by their names. I really love it, and my dogs Itsy and Bitsy love it, too.”
Word of the popular program spread quickly. Mount Vernon Lee Enterprises (MVLE), an organization catering to adults with disabilities, contacted Martin requesting that Greenspring volunteers and their dogs share time with their community. Agreeing, the volunteers now visit MLVE once a month.
Success is contagious
“It’s wonderful,” Martin says. “The people at Greenspring put a high value on volunteering, and many are involved in a myriad of projects.” In fact, some volunteers, like Marge Krape, find new ways to offer their services in the midst of their current volunteer work.
Krape works as a mail delivery volunteer at Renaissance Gardens. “One day I was delivering the mail and saw that it was someone’s birthday,” she says. “So I went in and sang ‘Happy Birthday’ and they just loved it.” Putting together a birthday song committee, Krape and ten other volunteers now take turns singing “Happy Birthday” as they deliver the mail.
“It’s been very well received,” she says. “The smiles are unbelievable.”
‘Keeping it interesting’
Martin helps the Greenspring community stay involved in volunteer efforts by “keeping it interesting.”
“Each year I try to come up with new programs, ways to reach new volunteers,” she says.
This year, Martin hopes to begin an all-volunteer oral history project at Greenspring. “I have always marveled at the richness and diversity of experience of the people who live here,” she says. “When I hear people tell their stories on NPR, I always think, ‘Wouldn’t it be nice to record our residents’ stories?’”
Working with eighth grade students from Irving Middle School in Springfield, Martin hopes the new program will “preserve the living history our residents have to tell and educate the students about the development of this country over the past century.”
Eye to the future
As volunteerism in the United States continues to grow, Greenspring volunteers remain on the forefront of ingenuity and creativity. In 2006, the community’s volunteer program was awarded a Fairfax County Volunteer Service Award for outstanding volunteer service. Looking to the future, members of Greenspring’s volunteer program are excited to see the existing programs mature and develop new ways to reach those most in need.