It is true, volunteers are the
backbone of any event and event planners depend on them.
It did not take long for Ocean
and Stephanie to choose the director of food services. Last Christmas, 2011,
they volunteered to serve the Christmas dinner at a local event. It was then
that they noted the skills and abilities of Kathy Stringham, wife of local
dentist Dr. Doug Stringham. Not only was she efficient, she could direct people
with both poise and directness. This is not an easy task when your work crew
consists of more than 10 adults and 20 youth! Ocean was delighted when she
asked Kathy, and Kathy accepted. They met one day for ice cream, and Ocean
explained her event, her intentions, and her expectations. Kathy listened,
commented, expressed her expectations and needs. Recruiting help would be next
on the list. Kathy had named Eileen Hallett as a person she would like in the
kitchen, and Eileen who has always been like a grandmother to Ocean accepted.
Getting more adults in the kitchen was not an easy feat. The question arose
again and again: who could we ask. The night before the event Ocean received a
phone call from Elaine Dallow. Elaine became a fast friend when Ocean and I
started learning sign language, once a week taught by Elaine’s children Tom and
Cindy. Having become fast friends with Eileen Hallett it was a perfect match.
Then on the day of the event a gift was granted; Alma Mendoza arrived with her
girls ready to serve. Having seen some of Alma’s artistic flare with food I
immediately recruited her to take the donations from boxed and containers to
place them in a pleasing fashion on plates. She took a box of cookies and made
them look spectacular. I knew I had chosen the right person for this job. Soon
after, I saw her chopping away with Kathy. The next time I walked into the
kitchen an assembly line had been created as taco salads were being made and
garnished.
Getting the right people is key:
both those with the ability to lead and those with a willingness to serve. Having people who understood the importance
of presentation is also key for an event like this. It was amazing to be able
to trust in the people working in the kitchen, knowing that they were both
willing and able to do what needed to be done with flare and comradely.
And it is at times like this when
you find out who your true friends are. My friendships with Brenda and
Christine started some time ago and have been nurtured entrepreneurially and
socially: through sewing lessons, weekly canoeing, work meetings on the dock,
and getting fresh produce at the farm. At no time have I ever felt judged by
either of them as a single mother. (For those of you who are single mothers you
know how rare this can be.) Despite busy lives, they always have and make time
for me, as I do for them. So when it came to the execution of the actual event,
they were the people I called into action knowing they would be there, knowing
they would not reply with, “I am sorry I am too busy with my family.” I knew
that I could ask them to do anything, and they would. Both of them took the day off work to help.
Christine even made arrangements before I even asked her. Other people simply
do not do that.
Brenda started the day running
around picking up donations. Christine started at the church creating the bid
sheets and cataloguing items. It took her all afternoon: from 1-4:30. It was
not until the end of the night that I realized how invaluable her cataloguing
would be.
Then they manned the table at
admissions, selling tickets and greeting people. To some this is not a major
thing, but in my reality this is an expression of ultimate trust. And I trusted
them implicitly to handle the money and oversee the donations. Despite the fact
that Brenda was escorted to her car by someone cloaked in suspicion I never
even had a second thought. When it came to collecting hundreds and maybe even
thousands of dollars, choosing them was a no brainer.
More than anything it was their
commitment and loyalty that I appreciated the most. Everything I asked of them
was done. I did not have to check up on them, and I never even had once
concern. Placing complete trust in them reminded me that I am a trusting
person, and I am great at delegating. As Brenda pointed out, “You know how to
match what needs to be done with people who have the skills to do it.” Later
she added, “You had a former banker and cashier handling the money.” Yah, I
guess if a store and bank can trust them so can I! Sigh, actually I say that in
jest, knowing it goes much deeper than that as they have proven time and time
again to be real and true friends I can depend on. I know I have said it before, but I will say
it again.
Thank you.
One other person that was a key
player, in more subtle ways, was Betty. Betty has always been a support
to me. Both She and Pat Greenways played a vital role in Ocean’s life when she
was in elementary school: giving Ocean rides, having her over for sleepovers,
and bringing homework when she was ill. Even though their kids are going to
different schools from Ocean, we have still kept in touch over the JR High
years. Being an experienced silent auction organizer, I often had long
conversations with her about the events she planned and attended gleaning what
I could from her experience. Although she won’t see it, she was an invaluable
source of information that guided me in the planning and execution of the
actual event ( a role I later took on when Ocean started to feel overwhelmed
with it all as she continued to work with donations, contacting people,
recruiting volunteers, and creating the presentation.) Betty committed herself
to helping. “I am going to be there so make sure that you use me if you need
help.” And I did. There were many things I asked Betty to do. They have been
small things, and seemingly insignificant, but she was able to help Brenda and
Christine in what they were doing.
Everything was running so
smoothly, until at the closing of the event a group of people who thought they
were being helpful pulled all of the auction sheets from the donation tables.
This unexpected event took more than 10 minutes to correct, causing everything
to fall apart at the end.
Volunteers are the backbone to
any event. Self-appointed volunteers who have no direction or guidance from the
event planner can be detrimental. At a post event evaluation it was determined
that at any and all future events people volunteers should have name tags with the role or title. And any
well-meaning self-appointed volunteer can be encouraged to enjoy the event. (This
is for anyone reading this and planning an event.)
To all the appointed adult
volunteers, thank you. It is because of your support in action that this event
was a success!
Of course none of this would have
been possible without the generous donations.
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