Fundraising for a Priceless Experience
Volunteer: Leota Tucker
Age: 35
From: Las Vegas, NV
Occupation: School Psychologist
CCS Program Site: Lima, Peru and Yaroslavl, Russia
What was your placement type?
I had a placement working with elderly in Peru. In Russia it was different, we didn’t go to the same place every day. So for the week, I went to six different placements. I went to a children’s hospital, an orphanage, a women’s hospital, a children’s afterschool program, etc. It was really nice to know that I wouldn’t have the same experience every day.
What did you learn about the community from volunteering?
It sort of instilled the idea that people are really resilient. In both of the places I went, I realized that these are very strong people in character and I really admired that.
How was your experience living in the Home-Base?
Great. People were very respectful, I felt safe. It was comfortable. The food is wonderful at both sites. You begin to make new friends, and even in the first day you’re starting to plan things to do together in your free time. You get over the nervousness of meeting new people in like the first hour because you have one huge common characteristic, and that’s the love of volunteering.
What do you miss most about your program?
I think I miss how simple it was. It was so easy to be useful. It was very uncomplicated. It was just very easy to be an asset to somebody, these people didn’t care about my Ph.D. or where I worked…it was just easy to be a person who could help. And I think sometimes, that’s lost.
How important were the other volunteers to your experience overall?
Very important, especially in Lima. I think there were about 30 people in that house when I was there — we had every type of person in that house. We had single people, married people, people with their young children, we had a girl who was in a wheelchair, a woman from Scotland…it was just very important because you saw that there were so many other people who want to do this. And they were probably people I would have never met otherwise. In Russia, there was another couple who brought their daughter who was 16, and there was another girl who was there who was adopted from Russia when she was a baby. I think the experience would have been very different if it wasn’t that particular group of volunteers I was with.
You fundraised for your program. How would you describe your fundraising experience?
Last year, I asked people to donate for my birthday instead of giving me a gift. I also applied for a Global Giving grant through VFPServ, and got it. So, they offered $1,000 of a matching gift, and I just had to raise the other half. Now any holiday that I can use as an excuse for people to give to my volunteering cause [in lieu of a gift] I will.
I think it added to my experience in a way because this was a gift that people contributed to. Instead of just showing pictures of where I went, people knew that this was something they contributed to, and I think it made them proud.
Do you have any advice for people interested in fundraising?
Do it early! Plan as far ahead as you can because of the deadlines. Search for grants — anywhere on the web you can find them. You can also ask your employer to match any donation, sometimes they will do that. I’ve also thought of doing a yard sale…some companies will even pay you to volunteer by the hour.
Why do you think other people should volunteer abroad?
This is a good one for my students. Some of them who just haven’t found their way, I think you gain a really good perspective of your place in the world, and how much value each person has to offer. I think especially for young people — they haven’t graduated yet, haven’t gone to college, they don’t have any specific skills, but they can learn their value just as a person, and I’m not sure they’d be able to see that in any other way.
Has the CCS experience affected your future plans in any way?
Yes absolutely. Right now, it’s what I plan to do with all of my free time. I love it so much and it’s such a simple thing to be able to help in such basic ways. When I have children, I definitely will get them involved as soon as I can, as young as I can. And I’d love to be able to get the students who I work with involved.
