This week’s State of Mind is written by Liza Baron, Chief People & Culture Officer
Volunteering – Through the work lens
When I was growing up the first job my mother took after having her three children was as Director of Activities and Volunteers at the Riverview Center for Jewish Seniors, now known as The New Riverview Apartments with the Jewish Association on Aging. She was proudly responsible for coordinating programming and volunteer work at the assisted living facility, and not yet old enough to be home after school on my own, I tagged along from time to time. I can remember meeting older adults who adored her and volunteers who kvelled at her dedication to their work. I was too young to appreciate the importance of volunteering itself in the way that I can now, but I feel certain that my appreciation for giving of your time to others is due largely to the spaces she brought me into then and would bring me into throughout her dedicated career as a fundraiser with two incredibly important organizations in our community: The Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh and POWER (PA Organization for Women in Early Recovery).
It’s a bit simple but I have found this to be true: when you help others, you help yourself. Engaging in service that supports others can do wonders for stepping outside of our own stressors – evidence suggests using gratitude is a way to reduce stress and anxiety. The desire for life balance amid responsibility from our work, our worries about the world, and caring for children or aging parents gives many of us reason to need moments of de-stressing.
Our work is influenced and shaped by the relationships we have, and even prioritize, with others at work. Responsibility for one’s actions with an understanding of how they impact others is paramount to the investment we make in these relationships, and while the daily grind provides us with a multitude of opportunity to create and build upon this skill set, the ways in which we engage outside of work (still in service to others) is a different way to go about this.
In September 2024 we introduced Your Light, Your Impact Volunteer Program to our JCC workforce. In keeping with our ongoing efforts to enhance recruitment and retention of top talent, this initiative allows every full-time staff member the chance to volunteer for a charity of their choosing for up to four hours during a workday, without having to use paid time off (PTO). As we continue to consider how staff benefits align with the diverse needs and interests across our entire workforce, an organizational priority that persists is defining and nurturing the kind of work climate we can all feel proud to be part of. Your Light, Your Impact Volunteer Program has been taken advantage of by several teams at the JCC including our friends at Emma Kaufmann Camp, the 10.27 Healing Partnership and the Membership department. Executive Director of the 10.27 Healing Partnership Maggie Feinstein said “I’m glad we were able to utilize this new JCC volunteer time off policy and I’m grateful for the time we got to spend volunteering. It reminded me of the long chain of those who put in energy and care to aid some of the most vulnerable people in the world…people do care, and they do spring into action for others. Until you’re able to see it in action, it seems almost invisible. Through volunteering and adding your hands to the process, all that work becomes more legible and clear.”
Lifting others by choice with your colleagues but in an environment that differs from the typical demands that daily work life offers can be a meaningful experience. In early childhood education, the environment is often considered the third teacher, alongside the educator and the child’s classmates. We also know that physical environment for children affects their cognitive, social and emotional development – the same is true for the adults in those classrooms! When we come together to support a cause close to our hearts, in spaces where we get to explore, discover and engage with those we are working alongside, the opportunity for the development of our relationships deepens significantly. In shared spaces of purpose and passion, we not only advance the cause we’ve chosen to support, but also forge those bonds built on mutual respect, trust, and safe communication. In these moments of collaboration and collective action, the relationships not only deepen – our community truly flourishes.
Several JCC staff members have already participated in the Your Light, Your Impact Volunteer Program this year and we’re looking forward to hearing and sharing more stories about their experiences. April is National Volunteer Month so you still have a few more days to choose a cause and use your light to make an impact.
Wishing you a Shabbat Shalom from our JCC staff family to yours,
Liza
