CVRAN

You, Our Essential And Amazing Volunteers!

Hello CVRAN Community. I have been in this role as board president for six weeks now. There are so many topics I could write about in my first president’s letter, so many exciting events and challenging issues. I want to focus on the most core aspect of CVRAN: you, our volunteers.

We are constantly impressed and amazed by our volunteer engagement. A recent informal survey showed our volunteer hours equal the time commitment of more than 14 full time employees. Our volunteers are essential to everything that CVRAN does and you accomplish an incredible amount. We recognize and laud your work. And to be honest, we do not always do enough to support all your work the way we want to. We are sometimes just trying to keep up with the next issue and the next need, and we keep barreling forward. This is the reality of an ambitious small non-profit with passionate members.

Now that our executive director is on board, we are working to organize and streamline our systems. We have been growing so rapidly, and the work we need keeps expanding. Our volunteer list grows weekly. Our volunteer coordinator, our newly hired direct services coordinator (more about Isabelle soon!), our ED, and our board are all focusing on our volunteers. You may soon get an email or a call to check in. We may not have records of what you are currently doing for CVRAN or what you’ve done in the past. We would like to know what your experience has been. What’s been great and what hasn’t been, and what could make it better. And we want to find out what you would like to be doing. We always have needs of course–small and large, one-time and ongoing, and direct service and administrative.

In the past few weeks, I’ve witnessed a ton of volunteer work. Dozens of volunteers have helped four households move into our newly finished Randall House apartments. We have collected household items for these moves and for two more in June. We have sorted, packed, cleaned, and coordinated. We have borrowed trucks, moved boxes, and made dump runs. We have hung curtains and assembled furniture. We have gathered to sign leases. Six households moving in six weeks!

We attended a very busy volunteer fair in Waterbury. Three volunteers talked to dozens of interested attendees about CVRAN and ways to get involved. We accepted a generously donated car for New Vermonter use! A volunteer test drove the car, then managed the title transfer & bought insurance.

Team volunteers have also attended Know Your Rights trainings with their New Vermonter families. Although this fundamental information is always important, the environment feels increasingly menacing, as we hear reports of raids and detainments across Vermont. Our volunteers are understandably eager to learn as much as possible about what we can do to increase safety.

You have helped organize summer camp schedules and the summer reading program which starts as soon as school ends. You have helped with dance recitals, sporting events, and all the regular daily schedules of visits, appointments, carpools, and lessons.

Thank you, volunteers. You are truly awesome.