Organizations gather to recruit volunteers

The Retired Senior Volunteer Program sponsored a volunteer fair Tuesday at the Venture Inn. Representatives of several volunteer organizations gathered in the Fjord Room of the Venture Inn as a call for aid.

The idea originally came from Terry Peck, the director of R.S.V.P.

“I know the need of some other agencies that could use some help,” said Peck. “So, I thought the fair could serve as a one-stop shop for people who wanted to volunteer.”

Peck served as the event coordinator and collaborated with representatives of the Heritage Museum and Justserve.org to put the event together.

The organizations all serve Lincoln County and are actively seeking volunteers to help with their work.

Representatives from a number of local organizations were in attendance, including the Heritage Museum, Disabled American Veterans, the Libby Food Pantry, Lincoln County Environmental Health, Lincoln County Public Health, Cabinet Back Country Horsemen, American Red Cross, Kootenai Heritage Council, Kootenai Valley Radio, Pets for Life, Lincoln County Public Transportation, Libby Care Center, Achievements, Emergency Management Agency, Nordicfest and the Retired Senior Volunteer Program.

Each organization had a table set up with representatives to inform guests of their need for more volunteers and what sort of work their organization does. The representatives at the tables gave small items away to people who stopped at their tables, such as brochures, pens and magnets.

The organizations in attendance could use any help they can get. In particular, the American Red Cross’s Lincoln County Disaster Action Team built three shelters during fire season, one each in Browning, Noxon and Libby.

Starr Backen attended the fair, representing the Kootenai Heritage Council, who manages the Memorial Center.

“We could use more volunteers for handling events at the Memorial Center,” said Backen. “Things like deejaying, taking tickets, or event setup.”

Peck felt that the fair had a good turnout, as 47 people came to the fair, which had over 30 participants.

“I got some good feedback,” said Peck. “All of the participants got at least two or three people to sign up. Some of them got six or seven names. I’ll probably do this again on an annual basis. Maybe with a better room.”

Volunteer work with these organizations will be a great opportunity for students at Libby High School, as students can use time spent with these organizations to fill their option hours. 

Libby High School teacher Jim May says that students can use any time they have volunteered to fill their option hours, provided that the work is not paid or done during school hours.

“I want to thank the Venture Inn for letting us use their room, putting up the door prizes and furnishing us with treats for the guests, and to the Turner Mountain Ski Area for putting up two ski passes,” said Peck.