Worlds oldest Volunteer Manager?

Volunteering Keeps her young

LONG BEACH – Mathilda Karel Spak’s formula for her longevity is simple: volunteerism, indulging her sweet tooth and “to keep breathing.”

“I’m not ready to die yet,” said the 104-year-old Long Beach resident. “So I better keep volunteering.”

Spak on Thursday celebrated her 104th birthday surrounded by friends, and Long Beach Memorial Medical Center staff and patients, for whom she had volunteered 20,650 hours of service in the course of 45 years.

“She never stops smiling,” said Westwood resident and best friend Richard Lewis, 78. “She never complains.”

Long Beach Memorial also renamed its Myasthenia Gravis Foundation clinic after Spak, who volunteered at the center to honor her mother.

Spak has lived a varied life of firsts. Despite losing a lung to cancer at the age of 21, she went on to graduate from Northwestern University. She was one of the first women to receive a real estate and broker’s license, as well as one of the first women to travel around the world on a tramp steamer.

At the advice of her mother, Spak began giving to charities at a young age – a practice that evolved to philanthropic works that saw her start three local clinics for myasthenia gravis, a neurological autoimmune disease.

She also established two programs at Long Beach Memorial. She created the Children’s Clothing Closet after seeing infants of the underprivileged clothed in towels after birth. Today, the program helps provide two outfits for tykes treated at the hospital. Spak also distributes teddy bears to patients – young and old – during the holidays.

“Being of service to others and making them happy … to make them smile is the best thing you could do,” Spak said.

Spak’s 90s were filled with various recognition. At 92, she was recognized by former first lady Barbara Bush for her 25,000 hours of volunteer work. When she was 99, the 99 Cent Only stores made her their honorary spokeswoman. At 100, Spak ran for gubernatorial office.

These days, she coordinates hospital volunteers from the Volunteer Services Room, fielding some 85 incoming calls a day and coordinating volunteer tasks.

Teen volunteers see a role model in her, said Deborah Downing, Long Beach Memorial’s director of volunteer resources.

Throughout the morning, well-wishers visited Spak at her desk for hugs and to sing “Happy Birthday.”

“I don’t think I deserve these honors,” Spak said, after being presented with three boxes of See’s chocolates, a special commendation and a large birthday cake. “I’m only doing what I love to do.”

Samantha Gonzaga can be reached at samantha.gonzaga@presstelegram.com or (562) 499-1284.

If I’m still managing volunteers at this age – I expect a whole hospital to be named after me!  Manging volunteer programs is one fo the greatest jobs that a person can have – I am helping people help people!  I am making it possible for others to do things that help them to be in touch with their own humanity. 

Corporate Social Responsibilty – is it just whitewash?

I have been thinking alot lately about CSR - especially after having applied for a job as National CSR officer for a non-profit organisation here in Australia (I didn’t get the job…bugger!).  I’ve also been involved in a short lived working party that was examining the whole concept of setting standards that corporates and not for profits couldwork with when establishing partnerships. 

Mission Australia and YoTS (Father Chris Riley’s Youth off The Streets) co-sponsored a workshop entitled “How many times can you paint a wall” which was focused on getting not for profits to look at how they engaged with for profit organisations in CSR.  Much of the discussion centred around how we present ourselves and our opportunities to ‘corporates’.  It was a great workshop – but it hasn’t lead to anything – it hasn’t gone anywhere.  For me personally and for the organisation I work for (UnitingCare Ageing) I want to see more not for profits actively engaging with corporate organisations in CSR projects. 

But is CSR simply white wash and are we as not for profits being led by the nose by government and corporate bodies in order for them to assuage their guilt over the rape of our environment, our cities and our communities?  Are we being used?

On September 7th six companies were honored during the 2006 American Chamber of Commerce Shanghai Corporate Social Responsibility Conference and Awards Ceremony. Here is the story.  Coca Cola won their award for building primary schools.  Amway won theirs for providing over 100 volunteer teachers as well as doing trash clean up work near Mt Everist (tall job that one!).

“Social problems are economic problems,” said Bill Valentino, General Manager Corporate Communications Greater China for Bayer, during a speech at the ceremony. “It is not just corporate social responsibility but corporate social innovation that drives systematic change. You need to ask how does my business agenda relate to a social need. When we talk about CSR, everybody looks at it as charity, but it’s not just about charity. It’s an opportunity for learning.”

So…what do you think?  Should not for profits jump in and gain some benefit from Corporate Social Responsiblity or shuold we remain “pure” and untouched by corporate culture?

Hello world!

Welcome to The Volunteer Manager blog – this is the very first post so don’t get too excited! 

 I have started this blog becuase I wanted to add to the resources such as e groups that are currently available to Volunteer Managers.  I wanted to engage in discussion and debate around issues of importance to us a a group of professionals and have found that blogging is quite a useful way of doing that.

I will be posting issues for discussion, presenting some of my own ideas as well as providing access from one convenient location to a host of other resources as well.  it will take some time to build and develop this blog and I hope you enjoy the trip with me