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                         August 30, 2002

Volunteers maintain quality of life at West Point

Story and photos by Kathy Eastwood
Staff Writer

In these days of dwindling resources and budget cutbacks there are a unique group of people that help maintain the quality of life and services at West Point. They do not receive paychecks for their services, but they do receive the respect and gratitude of those who live and work with them. They are the U.S. Military Academy’s volunteers.

USMA boasts a large, thriving volunteer program and it is currently managed by Joy Swanson, the interim Installation Volunteer Coordinator. Swanson has worked as West Point for five years and said the program makes it easy for people to find volunteering situations of interest to them.

"The installation volunteer program encourages and promotes volunteer participation by providing an easily accessible source of information on volunteer opportunities," she said.

Swanson said her job includes accounting for the more than 1,600 volunteers at West Point.

"I keep track of all the volunteer hours in a large database, provide for general volunteer counseling and referral to more than thirty volunteer organizations, organize the quarterly volunteer spotlight luncheon and the annual volunteer recognition ceremony," she said.

The first step to becoming a volunteer, Swanson said, is to stop by Bldg. 2104 to fill out a volunteer form.

"We ask that all volunteers fill out a volunteer information paper and sign an agreement form," she explained. "This is so that all volunteers can be registered in our database and thanked annually.

"Also, if anyone under the age of 18 would like to volunteer, we ask the parent to sign a waiver," Swanson added.

Another part of the IVP position, Swanson said, is overseeing the Army Family Action Program here. AFAP deals with issues effecting quality of life in the West Point community, she explained, and 95 percent of those issues are handled and resolved on post.

"There are several quality of life issues still active from community members’ safety concerns about Lyme Disease to handicapped accessibility facilities on post," she said. "These issues are being handled here in coordination with the garrison commander."

Swanson said that another important volunteer organization here is the Army Family Team Building. AFTB volunteers instruct military personnel, cadets, family members and civilian employees on various military subjects like customs and courtesy.

"We encourage new families on the installation to become involved in AFTB because it can be beneficial to everyone," she said. "Soldiers can get promotion points and college credits, for example."

The next AFTB class will be held 6 to 9 p.m., Sept. 17 in room 348, Thayer Hall and Swanson is encouraging new community members to attend.

"There is always a need for volunteers to reach out to new people on post as well as a need for volunteers in general," she added.

One organization on post that contains a large volunteer staff is the Red Cross.

The director of West Point’s Red Cross Service Center, Markgetta Langford, oversees the operation and said that the office would not be open without volunteers.

"Downsizing almost shut down the Red Cross that used to be staffed full time," Langford said. "We were kept afloat with the help of the Dutchess County Blood Services, which is paying for part-time administrative help and our volunteers."

The service center handles the volunteer staffing at Keller Hospital, where there are more requests for volunteers than in any other area, she said.

"Major Dino Murphy is the chief personnel coordinator for Keller hospital," Langford explained. "He does an assessment to find out where volunteers are needed and he tries to get teenagers and others to volunteer in areas such as medical records, emergency room and the medical warehouse."

Langford said Murphy started a special program to recruit teens to service.

"This summer he started "volunteen" with fifteen teenagers volunteering in various areas of Keller hospital," she explained. "Some of them volunteered more than sixty-five hours over the summer.

"We had nothing but favorable feedback from people, so hopefully we will be able to do it again next summer," she added

Teenagers can use their volunteer time for the community service credits as well as providing valuable experience, Langford said, and community service is handy when applying for college.

Some of the volunteering opportunities with the Red Cross include R-Day in processing and school screenings, along with service at KACH. And, Langford said, there is another important facet of the Red Cross Service Center, where volunteers are always needed.

"We have blood drives here three times a year in association with the National Red Cross and the Hudson Valley Blood Service," she explained.

Langford said the service center would need more volunteers now that school is starting.

"Our teenage volunteers are going back to school and we’re going to need new volunteers to take their place," she said.

Besides her busy position as director, Langford also teaches the Red Cross babysitting course and she said it’s quite popular.

"The course is nine hours long and spread out over a week," she explained. "We have 19 newly qualified babysitters now.

"Babysitters who take the course can start babysitting at the Child Development Center at the age of 11," she said. "The West Point School puts out a list of babysitters who are 13 or older."

For information about becoming a West Point volunteer call Joy Swanson at 938-3655. For more information about attending babysitting courses call 938-4100.