Volunteers say they have the best job without making a dime

Whether it's the detention center, hospital or the library, many establishments recognize they might not be anywhere without their volunteer staff.

Yet in Nevada, volunteers can be scarce.

According to volunteeringinamerica.
gov, data collected from 2008 through 2010 showed Nevada ranked 50th for the number of residents who volunteer. An estimated 421,500 people volunteer in Nevada.

Las Vegas ranks 49th out of the 51 largest cities with an estimated 280,000, or 19 percent, of residents who volunteer.

Pay it forward

Diana Stater, 71, knew it was time to give back to her community when she began volunteering in October 2010 at the St. Rose Dominican Hospital - Rose de Lima campus, 102 E. Lake Mead Parkway.

"I have reaped the rewards of others helping me," Stater said. "It was time to pay it forward."

The company Stater worked for was downsizing, leaving her with fewer hours managing the office but more time to give back.

When Stater was diagnosed with breast cancer and began radiation treatments , she kept her volunteer hours.

"I didn't want to sit home and have a pity party," Stater said. "There are people worse off than me. If I can comfort them, maybe at the same time I can find comfort, too."

Stater started working the front desk, taking calls and running errands. As time progressed, she moved into the hospital gift shop.

"People rely on the gift shop to be open," Stater said. "They come in to grab gifts or maybe a candy bar. If it wasn't open, people might have to stop somewhere else, which might not always be convenient."

Her original volunteer hours were 1 to 6 p.m. Tuesday and Friday. But with more need for help than volunteers in the shop, she has been working either Monday or Tuesday through Friday.

"Some days it's six hours a day, some days it's two or three," Stater said.

The best job

Like Stater, Howie Eisebraun thought it was time to give back and became a volunteer youth coach in 2005.

"I quit drinking 17 years ago," Eisebraun said. "I guess when you've done enough in this town, grow up and get sober, it's time to give back. It's not about me anymore."

Eisebraun coaches about nine teams a year in soccer, basketball and baseball.

The youths range from 8 to 14, separated into age brackets.

"It is the best job you can have without making a dime," Eisebraun said.

Originally, Eisebraun wanted to play on a community softball team. After many Internet searches, all his results pointed him back toward volunteering as a youth coach.

The hardest part about stepping into the coach role was making sure parents didn't think he was too tough on the kids.

"I had a game where the kids couldn't run more than three minutes," Eisebraun said. "So I made them run at practice. I just kept thinking, 'I hope the parents don't think I'm a drill sergeant.' But they loved that I made their kids run."

When Eisebraun first started, he took the summer off from coaching. But he missed it, so he started coaching basketball the next summer.

While making his youths work hard at practice and work harder at games, Eisebraun emphasizes that sports are meant to be fun where every member gets to play.

"I have no problem escorting someone to their car because they yelled at a kid," Eisebraun said. "That's not gonna happen around me."

Good use of time

John Williams was looking for employment when he decided to volunteer in the interim.

"I think it's important that people unemployed get involved with some type of volunteer work for two reasons," Williams said. "It keeps you engaged so you don't become stagnant. Also, if a prospective employer asks you what you've done with your time, you can say you were volunteering. I think that is a plus."

In May, Williams started volunteering at the Henderson Detention Center, 243 S. Water St., where he works the front desk, coordinates inmate visits and accepts the money to put on inmates' accounts. He typically works at least eight hours a week.

After Julie Buckley, 53, retired as a buyer at Dillard's in 2007 and moved to Henderson, she needed something to fill the time.

"I got the house unpacked," Buckley said. "Then I was like, 'Now what?' "

Three years ago, Buckley's neighbor introduced her to Henderson Libraries and helped her become a volunteer at Paseo Verde Library, 280 S. Green Valley Parkway.

At first, Buckley was assigned to process new books by putting a bar code in each one. Her duties snowballed into Amazon.com shipments, in which she packages donated books, ships and sells them to Amazon.com to raise money for Henderson Libraries. She also organizes the annual fundraising event, Library Tree Lane.

"I never expected to be this involved," Buckley said. "But I like being involved."

Buckley comes in about three days a week for four hours a day.

St. Rose hospital volunteer Glenn Lamison, 70, was in the same boat as Buckley when he retired.

"I'm a people person and needed to get out," Lamison said.

That was three years ago.

Lamison volunteers about eight hours a week at the front desk of the St. Rose Dominican Hospital - Rose de Lima campus, helping with discharges or running equipment to different departments.

His favorite part of volunteering is meeting and talking with people.

"I love the camaraderie," Lamison said. "I've made a lot of friends."

Lamison said that some days, all patients need is a little compassion and someone to listen to them.

MeeTing the need

According to volunteeringinamerica.
gov, high foreclosures and unemployment rates are factors that might contribute to lower numbers of volunteers.

"I understand if people need to seek a job," Buckley said.

Stater thinks people might not know what volunteering entails.

"I think a lot of people are afraid," Stater said. "I think they don't know what (the volunteering commitments) are going to be, and they are scared they can't do it."

Eisebraun said everyone can contribute a few hours a week.

"What's a couple hours?" Eisebraun said.

Eisebraun said he sometimes gets a parent who wants to hand out coaching advice on how they could do it better.

"Everybody wants to play hero without actually being the hero," Eisebraun said. "I usually tell them that the city is looking for more volunteer coaches, and if they apply, they can have a whole team of their own."

Volunteers have learned the same lesson -- people get more out of it than they give.

"I learned money is not everything," Williams said.

Eisebraun said he has gained a lot of respect from the parents, youths and city of Henderson that has no price tag.

"I hear kids saying in the store, 'Hey, there's my coach,' " Eisebraun said. "You can't put money on that."

Get involved

There are many opportunities to volunteer in Henderson.

The St. Rose Dominican Hospital's campuses are looking for volunteers. Opportunities include:

n Clerical support: Helping with organization in administration, human resources, cardiology, maintenance, health information or the medical staff office.

n Emergency department: Helping to make beds, tidy rooms, stock supply closets and run errands.

n Information desk: Greeting, directing and escorting visitors.

n Nursing unit: Answering phones and making charts.

n Gift shop: Assisting with sales.

For more information about volunteering at St. Rose, call the Rose de Lima campus at 616-7514; San Martin campus at 492-8695; or the Siena campus at 616-5543.

Youth sports coaches can volunteer in sports such as soccer, baseball and basketball. All volunteers go through a state and national background check and must receive certification through the National Youth Sports Coaches Association. Call 267-5700 for more information.

There are about 30 programs people can volunteer with in the city of Henderson, including the Heritage Park Senior Facility, the animal shelter, the detention center, the print center, trail watch and the public information office. All applicants go through a general background check. For more information, call the human resources department at 267-1912.

Contact Henderson/Anthem View reporter Michael Lyle at mlyle@viewnews.com or 387-5201.