Volunteers

TRIAD volunteer, Kathleen Bradie, and Donna Rodrigue (a dedicated volunteer who also leads the RAD Seniors classes), discuss TRIAD programs with senior attendees at the Art of Aging Expo.
There are currently hundreds of TRIAD volunteers across the Commonwealth of Virginia who assist with TRIAD activities on a regular basis.  Orange County TRIAD is blessed with an active volunteer base who include local law enforcement as well as seniors who work after hours and on their days off to bring programs to the community.  TRIAD recruits volunteers in a variety of ways.  Some volunteers are local senior leaders who have chosen to be a part of crime prevention in their community.  Some seniors read about the programs and call or e-mail to become a part of TRIAD.  Letters are also sent out to seniors, asking for their help in the TRIAD program.  Orange County TRIAD, like many local TRIADs, trains its seniors to protect themselves and to always alert authorities if they see anything suspicious.  Seniors may often be the law's best partner in reducing crime in their communities.  Seniors are the eyes and ears of most local communities, and the relationship they have with local law enforcement can directly effect information that, in Orange County, Sheriff Amos and his deputies need to solve a crime.
 
Volunteers help in many ways.  A volunteer may be trained to go out into the community and train other seniors on how to protect themselves from becoming a victim of frauds or scams.  A senior volunteer may choose to work with the Call-Up Program.  Volunteers can assist with finding local speakers and with getting the word out in Orange County when crime prevention days or a seminar is coming up.
On April 18, 2011, The Orange County Review published the following Letter to the Editor Elaine wrote in commemoration of Volunteer Awareness week:

 Dear Editor:

Governor Robert McDonnell has declared this week “Volunteer Appreciation Week,” and I am very excited about this.  As Coordinator of TRIAD Orange County, sponsored graciously and enthusiastically by Orange County Sheriff Mark Amos and his entire office, I work with volunteers every day.  These are private citizens who take their valuable time to help their fellow man and woman in our community who desperately need it.  These many volunteers, from one end of our county to the other, don’t get paid, and so often—too often—they don’t get recognized.  I am proud to say, though, that my volunteers are a special group: they don’t give their time in order to be recognized, they are happy to work in the background.  And the work they do:

·         Volunteer Call-Up Program: volunteers call seniors every day in order to verify their welfare; if the senior doesn’t answer, the volunteer immediately calls 911 to have a deputy do a welfare check

·         911 Phone Program: volunteers help distribute refurbished cell phones to seniors, who can use the phones to dial 911 in an emergency

·         Guardian Alert 911 Pendants: seniors wear these pendants at all times, so that, should they fall or otherwise become incapacitated, they can push a button and become immediately in contact with the nearest 911 center

·         County and town fairs: volunteers man the TRIAD table at these many events and talk about our program to seniors and loved ones of seniors alike

These are just a handful of the programs and activities that TRIAD Orange County offers to help this important segment of our community, who are so often overlooked and neglected.  And none of these programs could proceed without the tireless dedication of the volunteers who make these programs and activities possible.

So I want to take this time to salute all my volunteers, who come from one end of this county to the other and everywhere in between, who work so hard and so diligently, all for the sake of the good feeling such selflessness engenders.  And I want to take this moment to salute all volunteers, everywhere, no matter for what organization they selflessly give their time, here in our community and across this great land.

Thank you for your time.

Sincerely, Elaine Anderson, TRIAD Coordinator
Volunteers are needed to fulfill our programs and to add more programs.  Please use the form below to contact Elaine Anderson with regard to your becoming a TRIAD volunteer.  Please feel free to express your strengths, the areas in which you would like to volunteer, and anything else about yourself you would like her to know.  Thanks so much for your interest in becoming a part of the TRIAD team!  

Prospective Volunteers Form

Volunteer Alice Lumsden, the "rabbit" for a demonstration of the Project Lifesaver equipment, is found by Town of Orange Police Officer Evans Oakerson.