Jeanne Radday works full-time as Arlington Neighborhood Village’s Member Services Director, works part-time with the Arlington County Police Department as a Crossing Guard, and spends the free time she has left volunteering at Arlington Neighborhood Village in any capacity that’s needed.
What came first: Working at Arlington Neighborhood Village or volunteering? The answer for Jeanne was neither working nor volunteering; it was seeing the organization in action.
She was first exposed to Arlington Neighborhood Village while at a friend’s house. There were “helpful elves who would come in and help with tasks like repotting plants.” Jeanne was amazed that her friend had all these people coming around to support him with tasks that were challenging for him.
About a year after that, through Next Door she heard about a program on hearing loss sponsored by Arlington Neighborhood Village and decided to attend. The staff and volunteers from Arlington Neighborhood Village were incredibly friendly and helpful, and she found the program very informative.
Not even a year later, Jeanne saw that Arlington Neighborhood Village was looking to hire a Member Services Manager and, based on these past positive connections, she decided to apply. As she began working there, she “saw just how positive the volunteers in the organization were.” She was impressed that Arlington Neighborhood Village onboarded such competent, wonderful people to help and connect with senior citizens in a variety of meaningful ways. While some volunteers provide direct services such as driving members to medical appointments and changing lightbulbs, others work behind the scenes, guiding the organization through committee work and/or facilitating social and wellness activities for its membership.
Through her Crossing Guard role with Arlington County Police Department, Jeanne receives 8 hours of volunteer time per year to use at an Arlington non-profit organization, and because she “so believes in the mission” of Arlington Neighborhood Village, you can guess where she uses that time. Jeanne has taken on many direct service opportunities, supporting seniors in ways that they’ve requested. One of her favorite things about volunteering with Arlington Neighborhood Village is hearing the members’ stories. She also loves hearing first-hand from members about the ways that Arlington Neighborhood Village volunteers help brighten seniors’ lives and help them live safely and well during their older years.
One of these moments took place when Jeanne volunteered to run an errand for a member, picking up a prescription. When she dropped it off, Jeanne learned the member had recently been in the hospital, lived alone, and didn’t have any family in the area. This senior couldn’t drive to pick up the prescription, and she didn’t have anyone else who could do it for her. Jeanne’s picking it up meant the member could start taking this important medication and start her recovery journey. It was a meaningful exchange.
This ties into what Jeanne finds most rewarding about volunteering: Knowing “you’ve made a real, positive difference in someone’s life.” Even doing something as seemingly little as showing someone how to use the FaceTime app on their cell phone can mean the world to an Arlington Neighborhood Village member. It can mean that they can go beyond just talking to their family and friends, to engage with them in a new way.
Not only does she find it rewarding to make a positive difference in people’s lives, Jeanne also finds that she can learn a lot from those she’s helping to prepare herself for the journey of aging ahead.
If you’re looking to get started volunteering, Jeanne recommends asking yourself, “What do you want to get out of your experience?” Think about what your goal is, whether it’s to develop a skill, work on your own personal growth, or even just earn a certain amount of hours, having this personal goal will help you stick with it.
Join Jeanne in growing yourself and finding your volunteer passion through Volunteer Arlington. Explore volunteer opportunities and get involved.