Dianne Birch says that throughout her life, she’s always been a volunteer. That desire to help others led to her involvement in Chatham Connecting, an all-volunteer group which — through the chathamconnecting.org website — matches organizations in need of volunteers with people who want to volunteer. This week, we speak with Birch about Chatham Connecting and about how people — young and old — can make a different by helping others.
Birch grew up in Richmond, Virginia, and earned undergraduate and graduate nursing degrees there before earning a Ph.D. in Marriage and Family Therapy at Virginia Tech. She worked as a nurse and taught pediatric nursing at Radford University before going into private practice as a marriage and family therapist in Blacksburg.
She and her husband Bruce, who have two daughters and seven grandchildren, moved to Chatham County’s Fearrington Village in 2003.
Birch has served on the boards of directors for Chatham County United Way and the Triangle Community Foundation. Aside from her work with Chatham Connecting, she volunteers at the preschool at The Learning Trail in Chatham and serves on the Chatham Nonprofit Advisory Committee.
Chatham Connecting provides information about more than 120 nonprofit organizations and agencies that serve residents of Chatham County. How did Chatham Connecting get started?
The Chatham Connecting idea began with a conversation among friends about volunteering in our county. We discussed how difficult it is to know what is needed or what is happening in our large, diverse county as Chatham has few shared media sources, other than the News + Record, our weekly newspaper. Different parts of the county are oriented to the Triangle, the Triad or to the Sanford area. The conversation evolved into what we could do to help connect the people within Chatham County. Others joined the conversation and developed the idea of an online, searchable database of county agencies and nonprofits that serve people of Chatham. After months of meetings and contacts with agencies, Chatham Connecting was launched in 2011. It was created by and still is maintained by volunteers.
Why is Chatham Connecting such a great resource for nonprofits and for those who enjoy reaching out to volunteer?
There are many agencies that serve Chatham residents, and finding out about the options and how to navigate those options one-by-one can be difficult. Chatham Connecting lists more than 120 nonprofits or human service government agencies that serve residents of Chatham, with at least some of their services at a free or reduced rate. Information about these diverse programs, their missions, and their volunteer and donation needs are on the website: www.chathamconnecting.org. Volunteer opportunities are listed by activity and interest areas. People of all ages can volunteer as individuals, family or work groups, or even volunteer to help from home.
In addition, Chatham Connecting can provide assistance for staff at county agencies and nonprofits looking to refer their clients in need to specific organizations, such as literacy organizations, that might be helpful. And if the clients would benefit from volunteering there are many opportunities listed. So we offer help in many ways.
In Chatham County more than half of young people between the ages of 12 and 18 participate in volunteer activities, twice the rate of adults. Some schools require students to volunteers, but not all. Why is it important for young people to engage in volunteer activities?
For young people it can be an especially important experience. With 43 programs across Chatham County, volunteering offers opportunities to meet new people, experience diverse work situations, make connections in a broader community of peers and adults, and develop new skills while using the skills they have. Some colleges look for volunteer experience in applicants and often they continue to do so as part of campus life.
What are some of the other benefits of volunteering that young people may not recognize?
Volunteering helps young people become more aware of the needs of others and understand better how other people live. They become more cognizant of their own power to do good in the world.
What are some of the volunteer jobs that students can do?
The 42 youth volunteer opportunities currently listed on Chatham Connecting include working to care for animals, including horses (CAN-TR) or farm animals (Piedmont Farm Animal Rescue). Youth volunteers also help at food pantries (CORA and West Chatham Food Pantry), set up and work at special events (Shakori Hills, Farm Tour with Carolina Farm Stewardship Association), help with the environment, as in river cleanup (Friends of the Lower Haw River), work in construction (Carolina Tiger Rescue, Habitat for Humanity), and tutor (Hispanic Liaison), to name just a few. Students can help nonprofits with social media, websites, or designing publicity materials. Food drives and book drives can be organized by students to benefit our community.
Separate from the 120 organizations listed on Chatham Connecting, many religious communities are active in beneficial volunteer programs such as the weekly community meals offered by St. Bart’s Church. There are roles for everyone in Chatham County who want to help; there are many possibilities.
What’s the best way to keep abreast of opportunities?
Of course, our website, www.chathamconnecting.org, is one way. At the website we have news items on the home page. News items are about special events, which always need volunteers, and about timely needs in our community. Also, you can follow Chatham Connecting on Facebook or Twitter, where we provide news of nonprofit work in Chatham.
The bottom line is that volunteering for people of any age is a wonderful way to get to know other people in our community. In fact, research shows that people who volunteer are happier and healthier!