Helping Hands - Tulsa World: Local
Helping Hands - Tulsa World: Local News Sports http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/local/helping-hands/article_b... Scene Business Communities Blogs Opinion Weekend Weather Photo Video Databases Obits Calendar Store Today's Headlines My Subscription E-edition Subscribe Contact Us Welcome! Login | Signup 19° F Free Unlimited Access Home News Jobs Autos Pets Homes Classifieds Contests Search for stories and photos Deals Local Helping Hands Volunteers come from all different backgrounds for all kinds of reasons Story Comments (1) Image (5) Print Font Size: 1 Helping Hands Submit Your News! We'ʹre always interested in hearing about news in our community. Let us know what'ʹs going on! Submit news Video Mildred Buffington, a 96-‐‑year-‐‑old volunteer at the Community Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma, peels potatoes in the kitchen. Volunteers like Buffington do all sorts of work for all sorts of agencies and come from all different backgrounds. STEPHEN PINGRY / Tulsa World Previous Next Posted: Sunday, November 24, 2013 12:00 am | Updated: 5:26 pm, Sun Nov 24, 2013. By Staff Reports | 1 comment Volunteers do all sorts of work for all sorts of agencies. They come from all different backgrounds and bring with them all kinds of motivations. But they seem to have one important thing in 1 of 6 Latest Local Offers 1/2/14 10:32 AM Helping Hands - Tulsa World: Local News Sports Scene http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/local/helping-hands/article_b... Business Communities Blogs Opinion Weekend Weather Photo Video Databases Obits Calendar Store "ʺWe just want to help a li]le,"ʺ explained Mildred Buffington. "ʺWe want to make a difference."ʺ Diane Powell stands in the food pantry at Restore Hope Ministries in west Tulsa on Thursday. Powell and her family volunteer every Thanksgiving at Restore Hope, which distributes free holiday food baskets. JOHN CLANTON / Tulsa World Buy this photo Without her and thousands of people like her, nonprofit groups and charities couldn'ʹt do what they do. As Thanksgiving week begins, the Tulsa World sought several local volunteers to ask, simply, why do they do it? Superior Overhead Door $7 Off $7 Off Broken Spring Replacement Dowd Heating & Air $200 Off New Install $200 Off Any New System Installation! Volunteering is easy: Pick your passion and dive in She couldn'ʹt talk long. Mildred Buffington had a pile of potatoes to peel and only a couple of hours to get it all done. "ʺI don'ʹt want to get in trouble,"ʺ she said, "ʺand have them dock my pay."ʺ View all 5 images in gallery. New Year's Sale - Furniture Prices Include Sales Tax Don Carlton Honda 10% Off Parts Saturdays 10% Off Parts on Saturdays Only! La Hacienda $2 Off Combo Meal $2 Off Lunch or Dinner Combo Meal! But she can'ʹt keep a straight face. "ʺOh, who am I kidding? What pay?"ʺ Like thousands of Tulsans, Buffington asks for nothing in return even as she does a lot of hard work that nobody else would particularly want to do. The obvious question, for her and all volunteers like her, is simply why? Why do it? "ʺI have the time and the energy to do it,"ʺ Buffington answered, adding that she'ʹs 96 years old but still living alone. "ʺThe real question is: Why wouldn'ʹt I do something like this?"ʺ After retiring in 1979, she spent several years as a volunteer for a hospital in California but wanted to do something different when she Loony Bin $2 Chuckles Every Thursday $2 Buck Chuckles Every Thursday Night! View more local offers Popular Stories Jerry Seinfeld embraces 'opposite' strategy in online talk show OSU basketball player arrested on marijuana complaint in Edmond Death Notices for January 1 Damian Mark Ramkaran Quadruple homicides started violent year in Tulsa More moved to Tulsa in 2008. "ʺThere are people who don'ʹt have enough, even here in our land of plenty, right here in Tulsa,"ʺ she said, explaining why she decided to volunteer for kitchen duties at the Community Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma. Commented Photos Videos "ʺI do a lot of chopping, peeling, cu]ing up and de-‐‑boning. Whatever they need me to do, I do it."ʺ For more information about the Community Food Bank, call 918-‐‑585-‐‑2800. — MICHAEL OVERALL, World Staff Writer DIANE POWELL, RESTORE HOPE More than 10 years ago, her father'ʹs Sunday school class used to collect donations for food baskets at Restore Hope. 2 of 6 1/2/14 10:32 AM Helping Hands - Tulsa World: Local News Sports Scene http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/local/helping-hands/article_b... Business Communities Blogs Opinion Thanksgiving, with Diane Powell and her family tagging along. Weekend Weather Photo Video Databases Obits Calendar Store "ʺIt became a tradition every year for us,"ʺ she said. "ʺAfter you do it once, you say 'ʹOK. That was great. Let'ʹs do it again.'ʹ "ʺ Don Carlton Honda 918-622-3636 http://doncarltonhonda.com/ Sometimes they work the registration desk. Sometimes they hand out the sacks of groceries. Sometimes they help carry the sacks to the parking lot. Usually, there'ʹs enough people from Powell'ʹs family to do a li]le of everything. Some of their favorite holiday memories come from Restore Hope. "ʺI can still see my daughter si]ing on her grandmother'ʹs lap,"ʺ Powell said, "ʺdrawing smiley faces on the paperwork as clients checked in."ʺ Video Revolution 918-495-0586 http://www.videorevolution.com Wholesale Computer Supply 918-250-7283 http://www.wholesalecomputersupply.com Elephant Trunk Co. The daughter is now 20 years old and coming home from college to volunteer. Along with other year-‐‑round services, Restore Hope Tulsa provides school supplies and Thanksgiving meals to needy families. For more information, call 918-‐‑582-‐‑5766. 918-252-4569 http://www.elephanttrunkco.com Car Trends 918-627-5190 http://cartrendstulsa.com — MICHAEL OVERALL, World Staff Writer HUGH BURLEIGH, REBUILDING TOGETHER TULSA Hugh Burleigh'ʹs hands have worked on hundreds of homes in Tulsa for those in need. Find a local business Today's E-Edition Burleigh, 85, leads a group of about 25 retired men who have volunteered with Rebuilding Together Tulsa every Thursday for the last seven years. This ambitious group of retirees has a special bond and invaluable skills. They weren'ʹt content to sit and rest in retirement, so they started volunteering with local home-‐‑building groups more than 20 years ago. Their willingness to tackle any project re-‐‑siding houses, repairing structural damage, adding wheelchair ramps has made them indispensable to Rebuilding Together Tulsa, spokeswoman Kelly Hall said. "ʺThey'ʹre all so skilled and so talented, we couldn'ʹt do what we do without them,"ʺ Hall said. Together, they have tackled more than 140 houses for Rebuilding Together Tulsa. Their bunch includes doctors, professors, scientists, a]orneys and engineers which keeps the conversation while they work lively, Burleigh said. "ʺNone of us come from the housing or construction trade,"ʺ he said. Their skills developed as they continued volunteering and encountered all kinds of home-‐‑repair problems of needy Tulsans. "ʺWe'ʹve seen it all,"ʺ he said. Plumbing disasters, cellars full of sand, repairs that went wrong. The group likes the camaraderie of ge]ing together to help other people, Burleigh said. For more information about Rebuilding Together Tulsa, call 918-‐‑742-‐‑6241. — CARY ASPINWALL AND MIKE AVERILL, World Staff Writers KEN KINNARD AND SHAWN DAYAN, IRON GATE Engaged couple Ken Kinnard and Shawn Dayan'ʹs standing Saturday date is spent in the kitchen at Iron Gate. For the past two months, the Tulsa couple has been volunteering every Saturday, serving meals, packing grocery bags and kids'ʹ backpacks to keep people in the community fed. 3 of 6 1/2/14 10:32 AM Helping Hands - Tulsa World: Local News Sports Scene http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/local/helping-hands/article_b... Business Communities Tulsa and knew she and her fiance wanted to be involved. Blogs Opinion Weekend Weather Photo Video Databases Obits Calendar Store "ʺWhen I heard what they do here, I said this is for me, I have to come,"ʺ she said. But now, the couple said, it'ʹs about more than serving food it'ʹs making connections with Iron Gate'ʹs clients and ge]ing to know their stories. "ʺIt'ʹs a blessing for me,"ʺ said Kinnard, who was drafted out of Claremore High School to play baseball for the Toronto Blue Jays. "ʺWe try to greet everybody with smiles. You never know. They could be having a bad day today, and when people see you smiling, it makes them want to smile. That light will overcome that darkness."ʺ When serving meals one Saturday, a client told Dayan it was the first hot meal she'ʹd had in a week. "ʺIf you can get yourself to the Gate, you'ʹre going to get yourself fed and you do not have to be hungry,"ʺ she said. And if you can make time to volunteer there, you'ʹll grow to love it, as Kinnard and Dayan have, they said. "ʺThere'ʹs nothing be]er than living your purpose through service,"ʺ Dayan said. Want to volunteer at Iron Gate? Call (918) 359-‐‑9007 or email volunteer@irongatetulsa.org. — CARY ASPINWALL & MIKE AVERILL, World Staff Writers How you can volunteer If you'ʹre interesting in volunteering during the holidays or any time here are three things to know: I want to volunteer but I don't know where to start? Check volunteertulsa.org to see which agencies are looking for volunteers right now. Is it good to just show up at John 3:16 or a place like that on a holiday? No. Call ahead and ask to talk to the "ʺvolunteer coordinator."ʺ What are good volunteer opportunities for teenagers? It depends on the teenager. Whatever your age, volunteer for a cause you feel passionate about. Sign up for email newsletters Email: Enter Email Save Breaking News To start volunteering, stop procrastinating Pick up the phone. Or turn on the computer. Take the first step. Daily Headlines "ʺI promise you, people are going to be glad to have you,"ʺ said Karen Dills, the volunteer director for RSVP Tulsa. DailyDealTulsa.com Offers Latest Headlines at 4 p.m. OU Sports OSU Sports If you happen to be or, as Dills put it, "ʺif you'ʹre lucky enough to be"ʺ 55 or older, finding a place to volunteer couldn'ʹt be simpler. Just call Dills. 4 of 6 TU Sports High School Sports Food & Restaurants Weekend: Things to Do "ʺI do a personal interview with every volunteer,"ʺ she said, "ʺso we can match your likes and dislikes and your schedule."ʺ Home & Garden RSVP refers people to more than 200 nonprofits across the Tulsa area. But even if you'ʹre not 55, it'ʹs still pre]y easy to get started. Advertising Offers Downtown Tulsa Real Estate Contest Alerts 1/2/14 10:32 AM Helping Hands - Tulsa World: Local News Sports Scene http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/local/helping-hands/article_b... Business Communities Blogs Opinion Weekend Weather Photo Video Databases Obits Calendar Store Or, if you already have an agency in mind, simply call and ask to talk to the volunteer coordinator. "ʺLet them know ahead of time what your schedule is,"ʺ Dills said. "ʺTell them what you'ʹre interested in and what you want to do. It'ʹs that easy."ʺ And remember: Volunteering isn'ʹt a job. Nobody has to keep doing it. "ʺYou'ʹre not ge]ing paid enough to be miserable,"ʺ Dills joked. "ʺThere are no hard feelings if you say, 'ʹLook, this isn'ʹt for me. What else can I do?'ʹ "ʺ For more information about RSVP, call 918-‐‑280-‐‑8656. 918-‐‑280-‐‑8656. — MICHAEL OVERALL, World Staff Writer 1 Similar Stories Most Read Tulsa police ID woman struck, killed by stolen truck Wednesday Jerry Seinfeld embraces 'opposite' strategy in online talk show Teen arrested after reportedly attempting to break into home OSU basketball player arrested on marijuana complaint in Edmond Officials worry legal marijuana sales in Colorado could mean more pot in Oklahoma Death Notices for January 1 Cousin recants testimony after 23 years in Oklahoma City police officer's death Quadruple homicides started violent year in Tulsa Damian Mark Ramkaran More snow chances forecast for Tulsa area's weekend Join the conversation. Anyone can post a comment on Tulsa World stories. You can either sign in to your Tulsa World account or use Facebook. Sign in to your online account . If you don'ʹt have an account, create one for free . To comment through Facebook, please sign in to your account before you comment. Read our commenting policy. Welcome to the discussion. Screen Name or Email Password Forgot? Remember me on this computer Login Need an account? Create one now. 5 of 6 1/2/14 10:32 AM Helping Hands - Tulsa World: Local News Sports 1 comment: Scene http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/local/helping-hands/article_b... Business Communities Blogs Opinion Weekend Weather Photo Video Databases Obits Calendar Store Ann McWhortor posted at 4:03 pm on Sun, Nov 24, 2013. Posts: 495 When I read stories like this, telling people about the volunteers behind the scenes that we never see, it just reaffirms that there are a lot more good people in the world than there are bad. Log In to report. 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