Catholic Charities Senior Corp Lunch

It was my pleasure to serve as the guest speaker at the Catholic Charities Senior Corp lunch last week.  The room was filled with seniors who consistantly give of their time and talent to the benefit of those in need.  It was inspiring to be in the room with these volunteers.  I am attaching my speech, which provides information about what the Senior Corp does and the impacts to the state.
 
Thank you for having me here today. It is truly my honor to be here, among so many distinguished members of the Greater Cincinnati Senior Corp. I am State Representative Denise Driehaus and I represent the 31st House District, more commonly known as the west side. It has been my privilege to represent the district in Columbus for the past 8 months. I serve on the Finance Committee, the Health and Human Services Sub committee, the Education Committee, the Housing and Urban Development Committee and am the Vice Chair of Economic Development. But prior to my time as a State Rep, I was a volunteer. When my daughter, Sarah entered St. Teresa School in Price Hill I volunteered to be room mom. I went on the run the Everybody Counts program – a program which teaches children to accept others with disabilities, served as PTG president, coached, served on Parish Council and I still run a booth at the festival every year.
 
I was also a volunteer board member of the Cincinnati Recreation Commission for 16 years and now serve on the Cincinnati Recreation Foundation.
 
I recently stepped down as the vice president of the West Price Hill Merchants Association and as a board member with the Price Hill Civic Club.
 
I have been taking meals down to Tender Mercies once a month since 2000.
 
So when Chris Gramke asked if I would be willing to talk about the benefits of volunteering, I felt that I could do so with some authority. But I was unfamiliar with the volunteer work of the Greater Cincinnati Area Senior Corp. I like to think it is because of my age, but I think that the more likely reason is that I haven’t been paying attention to the good work this group has been doing in the community for over 35 years. So I asked Mike Dutle if he would take me on a tour so that I could learn more about the Senior Corp and its volunteers and the wonderful work that you do. As many of you know there are three core programs administered by the Senior Corp. 
 
 
 
 
 
The first is the foster grandparents program. Mike and I went to St. Joe’s school in the west end to meet some of the foster grandparents and the kids they serve every day. The foster grandparents were in the classrooms talking to the children, organizing paper work, helping the teachers stay on top of what needed to be accomplished for the day to keep the kids on track. The foster grandparents are loving, caring role models for the kids and a necessary help to the teachers. The principal and pastor could not say enough good things about the foster grandparents in their school.
 
Our next stop was the Lincoln Recreation Center where a group of RSVP volunteers had gathered to go out to help on a project in the community. These volunteers come from all walks of life and obviously enjoy the comradery of the group and embrace the opportunity to help out in the community. We also visited the Lower Price Hill community school where volunteers help young adults study and prepare for success in school and in the work place. This resource is critical, especially now when so many people are looking for employment and jobs are scarce.
 
The last program, Senior Companions helps seniors stay in their homes. Many seniors in our community want to stay in their homes but need a little bit of help to do so. This program makes that happen. Recently, I visited a woman who lives in Westwood who is over 90 years old. She is so grateful for the help she receives and so thrilled to be living at home. I hate to sound mercenary, but keeping people in their homes instead of having them in nursing homes is a tremendous savings to the state. It is far less expensive to go into someone’s home and help out than it is to provide the high level of care in a nursing home which many of our seniors don’t need. As a state, we recognize the value of programs like the senior companions and are moving to create policies that will provide these types of services and help seniors stay in their homes.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
There are over 18,000 Senior Corp volunteers statewide – and over 600 in Cincinnati.
 
The Senior Corp provides over 194,000 volunteer hours at schools, senior centers, nursing homes, hospitals, private homes, local businesses and other organizations.
 
The value is almost $4,000,000. Imagine if the state had to absorb that cost. We simply couldn’t, and the services would go unprovided.
 
So to the benefits of the volunteering…. it seems to me that the most obvious benefit is to the people you serve, the lives that you touch everyday… The child that does better in school, the young adult that is able to gain the necessary skills to get a job, the senior who is able to stay in their home. The organizations you partner with are stronger and more effective with because of you willingness to help. The state is stronger because you have helped lift a financial burden at a very difficult time.
 
The second benefit is to you, the volunteers. Through your work you stay active and engaged in the community and with each other. 
 
But, there is an important third benefit, and that is the benefit to the community, because when you volunteer, you set an example for all those around you.
 
I learned at a young age that volunteering was simply a way of life, part of what you do as a member of your community, as a part of your faith community. My parents taught us to give back, whether it was through coaching, bringing foster children into our home, serving on parish council or being active in social causes.
 
We all learned that in order for us to give back to our communities we would be expected to volunteer.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The work that you do creates a ripple effect. Those that witness your work understand that you do it because you are part of a caring community and you want to give to those in need or less fortunate. You don’t need to know why the children or adults that you serve don’t have access to services otherwise, you give because you know it is the right thing to do. You don’t always get the pat on the back that you deserve, but you volunteer anyway. You don’t always know if the time that you spend has a positive impact, but you spend the time anyway. You do it because you are part of a larger community and you understand the value in helping others whether you personally benefit from your efforts of not. You are the angels among us and we are learning from you everyday. We are learning to be better people, people with compassion, people who care.
 
When I was in 5th grade at St. Antoninus, Mrs. Ryan was my religion teacher. When we asked why God would create people with disabilities or why He would let people live in poverty or why He would allow people to be alone and in need, she would tell us that it was God’s way of giving the rest of us a way to get closer to Heaven, because every time we sacrificed of ourselves to help someone else, we took one step closer to God. Those of you in this room are the ones leading the march. Thank you for all that you do.