Members of our LSS family continually inspire us with how they live out the Christian Core Values while caring for residents and one another. As we look toward the New Year, may we consider volunteering our time to further spread God’s love. The ministry of volunteerism fits perfectly with our Christian Core Values.
Faith-inspired: Volunteers assist the LSS chaplains by reading scriptures to residents, singing hymns, transporting residents to spiritual activities, and showing service to others as Jesus did.
People First: Volunteers put residents’ needs first and assist staff members as they are able.
Service Excellence: Volunteers serve staff and residents through acts of kindness, helping where they are most needed.
Responsible Stewardship: Volunteers help save resources by freeing staff schedules for other essential tasks.
Generous Hearts: Volunteers choose to give of their time and resources, softening the hearts and opening the minds of both giver and receiver.
Volunteerism is an essential component of the Christian mission for Lutheran Senior Services: Older Adults Living Life to the Fullest (John 10:10). Much of what we are able to do depends on the generous volunteers who regularly donate their time.
Kristy Bull, Director of Volunteer & Community Engagement recently calculated the total number of volunteer hours contributed to LSS between January and November 2017, and we were blown away with the numbers! LSS has welcomed over 5,000 volunteers during this time, and those volunteers have served over 64,000 hours! We have also welcomed 502 clinical students who volunteered in our Care Centers while working toward their degrees. These students have given more than 8,000 hours of service to date! (Totals do not even include the month of December.)
Volunteers range in age from two years old to 92! They come to us from schools and churches or are residents, family members, corporations, or nonprofits! Volunteers serve in many capacities, from being members of the LSS Board to emptying recycling containers. All contribute in a meaningful way and help us further our mission.
Employees can also be seen volunteering around LSS outside of their normal work hours. Employees have volunteered to sit with hospice patients near the end of their life. Many take time away from their busy work schedules to serve at our annual golf tournament or other fundraisers and events to support LSS. Departments have collaborated together in different areas across the organization which has served as team-building activities for small groups, while also offering a new perspective on other departments at LSS.
Other work teams “adopt” LSS seniors throughout the year, but especially around the holidays, by collecting needed items for seniors we served by the Affordable Housing and Aging Answers department.
Companies such as Wells Fargo, Maritz, and Peabody Energy also volunteer at LSS as part of their philanthropic efforts. While LSS does not have a formal volunteer policy for their employees, it is the hope of Kristy Bull that it will in the future. Says Kristy, “LSS is on the receiving end of so many generous volunteers, but there is also great value in us (as LSS employees) giving back as well.”
For more information on volunteering, go to LSSLiving.org/volunteer
