The Dearborn County Retired Teachers Association (DCRTA) jointly with the Indiana Retired Teachers Association (IRTA) provides opportunities for retired teachers to continue their interest and involvement in the community. Through volunteer work, retired teachers accumulate volunteer hours which are tallied, recorded and used by the Association for its Cost Of Living Adjustment (COLA) negotiation with the state legislature.
The following are guidelines for these volunteer hours. The hours cannot be for pay nor can they include work for family members. Travel time to any event or activity can be included. Youth service hours should be recorded separately from adult service hours.
YOUTH HOURS
Church: Preparation; teaching; youth group, VBS; crafts; transporting
Community Service Groups: Scouts’ 4-H; sport groups; coaching; fundraising; Special Olympics; CASA
Education: Classroom volunteering; libraries; Read Across America; literary programs; tutoring
Other: Service you do without financial payment for young people – not family
OTHER HOURS
Church: Boards; committees; preparation; teaching; mission work; fund drives; decorating; funeral dinners; quilting; choir practice; program preparation; presentations; food preparation; officer responsibilities; garden/lawn care; painting/repairs
Community Service Groups: Kiwanis; VFW; Lions: American Legion; Garden Clubs; YMCA/YWCA; music/drama groups; United Way; Salvation Army; food pantry; Council on Aging; AARP; DCRTA; Meals on Wheels; Eastern Star; RSVP; knitting and crochet; officer responsibilities; animal shelters
Education: Libraries; adult literary programs
Health Care: Hospital visits; nursing home visits/programs; fundraising for charities; chauffeuring other appointments; shopping for others
Other: Services you do for others without financial payment – not family
REMEMBER: Count your travel time for all volunteer efforts
Volunteer hours should be forwarded to your designated volunteer caller or Jo Sloan, Community Service Chair, no later than December 31. (rivercityjo54@gmail.com)
There is a form below that you can print to record your hours.
COMMUNITY SERVICE – VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES ABOUND
So you want to volunteer, but you just don’t know where to turn. Here are some suggestions to inspire your next steps. First, think about the thing(s) you truly love. Is it people, animals, welfare of others, healthcare, history, art, education, religion? I could go on, but you get the idea; what truly is your niche?
If you are a people person, with whom does your greatest interest lie? Babies, preschoolers, grade schoolers, teens, adults, older adults? Can you rock a newborn, play with a preschooler, tutor a slow learner, counsel a teen, befriend a lonely neighbor, visit a shut-in or assist with Hospice care? Area schools, hospitals, the Pregnancy Care Center (PCC) 812-537-4357, and nursing homes all accept volunteers. Use your phone book and dial away. Understand that each organization may have a screening process and/or training for you to undergo before you begin to volunteer. The PCC is always in need of diapers, baby wipes, and formula.
Are you an animal lover? Can you walk an elderly neighbor’s dog, sort items for a yard sale, donate food or other items for the care of animals in a shelter? Give PAWS Humane Center a call at 812-577-0829 and see how you can help.
Do you love the environment and want to help keep it tidy? Open a trash bag and go on your own pick-up detail in your neighborhood or in any area that truly needs a loving touch. Be sure to recycle your finds and while you’re at it, check out all the ways you can help at the Dearborn County Recycling center. Julie, our Re-Use Coordinator, always has something going on where you can help. Whether it’s Prom Dress Exchange, a Halloween Costume Exchange, a Holiday Give-Away, organizing donations, or bagging up deliveries of school supplies to area teachers, Julie can use you. Call her at 812-926-9963
If feeding the hungry is your thing, The Dearborn County Clearinghouse in Aurora 812-926-1198, St. Vincent De Paul Food Pantry in Aurora 812-926-1637, and/or The North Dearborn Food Pantry Inc. 812-637-2841 take donations of non-outdated staple food items, used grocery bags, and personal care items, and at times, they can use your help to pick up food or organize donations.
If sewing and creating is what you do, join the Retired Teachers, who sew dresses and shorts for children around the world. The group meets at the Lawrenceburg Community Center on Thursdays from 10 am to 2 pm, except for the months of June, July and December. Bring a brown bag lunch and drink and join the group. For more information about the sewing project, call Judy Mosier at 513-673-1414.
Don’t forget that our churches are always seeking committee members, vacation Bible school teachers, bereavement meal preparers and servers, etc. Good News Club Child Evangelization groups meet two six- or seven-week sessions each year at Aurora, Dillsboro, Central, Bright and North Dearborn Elementary Schools after regular school hours. Call Bridget Back at 812-756-1694 to see where you can help.
The list of ways you can volunteer your time and energies is endless. If you don’t get paid and you do something for someone other than family, you are volunteering. Please remember that any prep time and travel time to and from volunteer activities count toward your volunteer hours. An easy way to track your volunteer hours is to list your volunteer activity on your calendar and add the amount of time you donated next to the event. To count your hours, simply go through your calendar day by day with your calculator in hand. Then kindly report your total hours to your designated caller when you are contacted. If you haven’t been contacted by a caller, please let me know at 812-532-9747.
I hope you have been inspired to get out there and give of yourself to help others.
Jo Sloan, Community Service Chair
You can download this form to record your hours.