SCS Celebrates Volunteers

Back row (l. to r. ): David Whyne, SCS associate executive director for community services, Richard McGrade, assistant director, SCS center for active older adults, William Madden, SCS Senior Services Volunteer of the Year, Rita Manton, SCS director of volunteer services and community relations, George Napolitano, representing Congressmember Carolyn Maloney, and Ron Cavalier, president of the SCS Board of Directors; front row (l. to r. ): Eileen Hand, SCS Senior Center Volunteer of the Year, Djamila Zaidi, SCS Youth and Multigenerational Volunteer of the Year, Judith Zangwill, executive director of SCS, Sonia Osorio, SCS Core Office Volunteer of the Year, Myrna Soto, SCS coordinator, case assistance, Angela Den Dekker, representing Congressmembers Joseph Crowley and Nydia Velasquez represented by Evelyn Cruz. Photo Roberta Zulawski

More than a quarter of the U. S. population volunteers at least once during the course of a year. And each year, across the country, thousands of these individuals are honored during National Volunteer Recognition Week.

To celebrate the service, dedication, and involvement of its 400 local volunteers, Sunnyside Community Services (SCS) hosted its annual Volunteer Recognition Celebration on Thursday, May 1 where some 150 volunteers attended the event.

Thanking the volunteers on behalf of the 15,200 community members who benefit from SCS programs annually, Rita Manton, director of volunteer services and community relations at SCS, noted that volunteers had provided over 46,000 hours of service to SCS last year, and calculated that this represented approximately $500,000 in savings for the organization. According to Manton, volunteers are one of SCS's most valuable assets, "Volunteers help us serve over 200 meals a day at the Center for Active Older Adults, prepare Meals on Wheels, mentor and befriend school children and atrisk youth, visit and help frail and homebound seniors, and bring their skills to support SCS in the offices and program departments. So don't think that because our volunteers don't get paid they are worthless," Manton continued, "They are priceless".

While the volunteers appreciated the attention they received at the event, for most of them the experience of volunteering was its own reward. "At the Center, my participation in the daily activities of senior citizens with Alzheimer's disease was simply amazing," said Djamila Zaidi, one of the volunteers supporting SCS's Adult Day Services program. "I felt so much empathy and sympathy for the participants, and was happy that I had the chance to be around and to share these moments with them. At the end of each day, I felt a sense of accomplishment knowing I brought happiness into these people's daily lives as they brought happiness to me as well." Djamila received the Youth and Multigenerational Volunteer of the Year Award.

Sunnyside Community Services' mission is to build community and enrich the lives of Queens residents by providing caring, quality services to meet their social, health, educational, and recreational needs. SCS is located at 43-31 39th Street, Sunnyside, NY 11104. For more information, call (718) 784-6173 or go to www. scsny. org. To find out how you can volunteer at SCS, contact Rita Manton at (718) 784-6173, extension 401.