Volunteering At The Saltmarsh Senior Center A Valuable Experience

To the editor: Every year, teenagers from Nantucket and beyond flock to apply for a variety of coveted summer jobs. Whether it’s working at a kid’s camp, being a lifeguard, or fulfilling community service hours, positions are hard fought for. What many don’t consider is the more understaffed and forgotten sections of the island that really need the help.

Working at a summer camp last year, I found that I was generally less useful than I could have been throughout the day with a lot of dead time. This year, I have been volunteering at the Saltmarsh Senior Center, and it has been such a different and transformative experience. My efforts go so much further, and my work is so much more appreciated because it is genuinely needed – there generally tend to be far fewer volunteers with the elderly than with younger children.

Although it may seem less glossy or attractive than a typical summer experience, work with the Elder Services of Cape Cod and the Islands has given me a plethora of transferrable work and life skills: organization, timeliness, teamwork, and most importantly - empathy.

Personally, I feel that my most valuable work in the senior center isn’t serving meals or setting up bingo tables – but chatting to and connecting with seniors who otherwise might not have spaces to socialize. By helping to set up a daily community lunch and various games, I can help to provide entertainment and conversation among guests. Loneliness is a problem that permeates all elderly communities, even ones as tightly knit and affluent as Nantucket.

This opportunity has also been an amazing way for me to gain greater perspective on life overall and hear some incredible stories from those much older and wiser than me. I feel that experiences such as these are often underpromoted despite being so mutually beneficial to both the volunteer and community. I would urge anyone reading this with even a vague interest in community service (perhaps for high school or college) to give it a go and volunteer with the Elder Services of Cape Cod and the Islands: to make a real difference in an often-overlooked area of society.

For any queries, please contact Mark Budaj at mark.budaj@escci.org

The Saltmarsh Center can be found on 81 Washington Street and is reachable by Your Island Ride and the Wave Bus. Lunchtime servings run from approximately 12-1:15 p.m.

George Beevers