Volunteerism

Thanks for your fine editorial, "Doing Good, and Doing It Well" (Dec. 27), pointing out several examples of volunteerism in Southern California. My only regret was that it wasn't placed on the front page of the paper! It seems to me that the press in this country has such great power that by promoting the positive aspects of our society (and there are quite a few) rather than the negative, it could go a long way toward turning around the present demise of confidence, which is certainly contributing to, if not causing, the present recession.

Monday, millions of Americans will honor the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. by volunteering for community service. They will collect cans of food for the poor, ladle soup for the hungry and help the homeless. They will talk about their rewarding experiences, and the people they help will express their gratitude. Tomorrow, everybody will return to their normal routines. The MLK Day of Service represents an increasingly popular form of volunteerism - setting aside a day or so to help the needy.

Re "Good Deeds and Derring-Do," March 3. Volunteerism cannot work if government does not. I am a very active [Neighborhood Watch] block captain. I paint out graffiti, clean up litter, report suspicious activity. But there is just so much any of us can do. Our neighborhood is plagued with slumlords who allow sidewalks outside their apartments to become garbage heaps. Neighborhood Watch does not have the time or authority to bring miscreant property owners in line. We leave that job to the city.

The economic effects of the Great Recession have been easy to see: a stock market crash, a sickening drop in home values and household wealth, and the throbbing pain of persistent unemployment. But a deep recession does more than economic damage. When short-term unemployment turns into long-term unemployment, as it has in this recession to a level unseen since the 1930s, rates of depression (the psychiatric kind) increase, anxiety rises and behavior changes in ways both expected and unexpected.

I was infuriated when I heard President George Bush suggest that volunteerism is the answer to solving social problems in the United States. My nomination for Woman of the Year goes to Rita Schwerner Bender, widow of civil rights worker Michael Schwerner, for her suggestion to the President that he invite a homeless family to share his home in Kennebunkport, Me., this in keeping with his stated philosophy ("Rights Martyrs' Relatives Speak Bluntly...

On one hand, the Alexis de Tocqueville Society of Orange County celebrates the spirit of volunteerism in a democratic society. On the other, it's a very exclusive group. But seeming contradictions melted away last week at Casa Pacifica, the former Western White House in San Clemente and the current residence of Gavin Herbert, where the society met for dinner and the presentation of its first Humanitarian Award to Sister Marie Therese, director of the Lestonnac Free Clinic in Orange.

It is claimed that the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board needs to pay the members nearly half a million dollars to attract the best and brightest ("Big Four Top Accounting Watchdog's List," Jan. 10). It would seem that the best and brightest in the financial world should have been able to accumulate plenty of wealth already, allowing them to become committee members at a salary comparable to the president. President Bush has been touting public service and volunteerism -- this is a perfect place for public officials to set an example by forgoing the extra $300,000.

Thank you for the Jan. 7 feature on the Rolling Reader program ("Audience Enthralls Volunteer Readers"). At my children's school, W.R. Nelson Elementary in Tustin, Rolling Reader volunteers read in 21 out of 25 classes. We hope to have 100% participation this quarter. The value of this program cannot be overstated. It links the school to the community through face-to-face contact with students. It builds relationships and students' appreciation for volunteerism. And it puts three new books per year in each student's home.

Charitable organizations often say volunteerism can change lives, and for Taleen Tertzakian, 17, that has proved to be true. Helping doctors in Armenia treat children with orthopedic problems this summer prompted Tertzakian, a senior at Foothill High School, to study medicine with the goal of becoming a doctor herself. "The trip pushed me to realize that," Tertzakian said. "It was a great rush for me."

President Obama on Tuesday signed into law a bill that will more than triple the number of federally sponsored community service volunteers. The legislation, which had broad bipartisan support, authorizes an expansion of AmeriCorps and other national service programs. It was named for its lead sponsor, Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.), who attended the signing along with President Clinton, who started AmeriCorps in 1993.

Lisa Bialac-Jehle was just a few minutes from sleep Friday night when her phone rang. It was the American Red Cross, and they were calling about a fire. The caller told Bialac-Jehle, 52, a member of the organization's disaster action team, that she was needed immediately at Sylmar High School to help victims who had fled there. So she threw on some clothes, hopped in the car and sped up the 405.

FOR A WORLD that's messed up, we sure have a lot of goodness being shoved in our faces. If we're not hearing about Angelina Jolie's impending sainthood (a profile in the July issue of Esquire magazine unblinkingly calls her "the best woman in the world"), we're busy trying to convert our cars to run on nothing but lavender oil and beer. Folks who as recently as the mid-'90s were littering on their grannies' front yards and mocking mentors of any kind are now buying back carbon emissions, volunteering in droves (61.2 million last year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics)

The spirit of volunteerism is thriving in the heartland, but not so much on the coasts. Midwesterners are more likely to volunteer their time than are people elsewhere in the United States, according to a federal study released Sunday. The highest rates were in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area, where more than four in 10 adults volunteered. "It's really about Minneapolis' commitment to the quality of life," said Michael Weber, president and chief executive of Volunteers of America of Minnesota.

Tucked away in the foothills of the eastern San Gabriel Mountains is the small town of Sierra Madre, which residents say they treasure for lots of reasons. Sure, there are one-of-a-kind beautiful homes. Neighbors know each other. Kids are safe to walk downtown. But what they beam most about is the way so many in the community give something back. "This is a town run on volunteers," said Bud Switzer, 78, who moved to Sierra Madre 68 years ago and was voted Citizen of the Year in 2006.

Volunteer work seems to come naturally for Alex Miller, a Mar Vista teenager. At 8, the articulate boy raised money for the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles by working phones. A few years later, he decorated Rose Parade floats during two winter breaks from school after his parents took him to see volunteers build floats.

It is claimed that the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board needs to pay the members nearly half a million dollars to attract the best and brightest ("Big Four Top Accounting Watchdog's List," Jan. 10). It would seem that the best and brightest in the financial world should have been able to accumulate plenty of wealth already, allowing them to become committee members at a salary comparable to the president. President Bush has been touting public service and volunteerism -- this is a perfect place for public officials to set an example by forgoing the extra $300,000.

Re "Transgender Chaperon Ignites School Dispute," Jan. 5: What is it that has the Francis Howell School District's parents' knickers in a knot? The father of a student, described as "actively involved in his daughters' education," chaperoned a field trip to the Missouri State Capitol wearing "jeans, a sweater and nice shoes" and "tasteful makeup." Big whoop. Instead of frothing at the mouth about requiring parent chaperons to wear "gender-appropriate" clothing, the parents should be thanking this parent for his volunteerism and for keeping their children safe.