Organizations and nonprofits around Bloomington are always in need of help from volunteers, and the new director of the Volunteer Network said she is looking to streamling getting involved in the community.
The city is ushering in Lucy Schaich, an IU graduate, as the new director for the City of Bloomington Volunteer Network. She is stepping into the role after serving as assistant director for 18 years.
“I’ve been doing a little bit of everything as I’ve worked through almost two decades, so I come with some experiences,” Schaich said.
The Volunteer Network is nested under the Community and Family Resources Department, which contains multiple, separate advocacy commissions to address community issues. Some of these groups include a commission for the status of black males, women and children and youth.
“We work to help connect our residence and families to resources and give them an outlet for advocacy,” said Beverly Calender-Anderson, the director of the Community & Family Resources Department. “Lucy’s main goal is to connect volunteers of all ages with opportunities to serve.”
People looking to get involved can go to the Volunteer Network website to see what opportunities are available . The Volunteer Network offers opportunities for all ages, with some projects welcome volunteers as young as 10.
The network also helps student groups get involved as well, especially students involved in greek life.
“We want to connect people of all ages because we believe that service helps you become a part of the community,” Calender-Anderson said.
Schaich has been a part of that community for a while. Calendar-Anderson said Schaich's personality will help her succeed in the position.
“She brings a wealth of experience working with agencies and working with young people,” Calender-Anderson said.
Schaich has completed work with Wonderlab, a science museum in Bloomington.
“Lucy is a champion for civic engagement and community connections,” said Wonderlab volunteer directorJeanne Gunning.
Gunning said she appreciates how Schaich keeps all the volunteer positions current on their website. “It’s a really robust system,” Gunning said.
Although nothing has been completely set in stone, the department is currently examining some changes to be made to the Volunteer Network, such as making it more tech-friendly.
Schaich said they are exploring how they can keep up with the needs of the organization as the technology changes.
“When I started, everything was on paper,” Schaich said. “The way that groups want to engage is always changing, and now there’s more options than ever.”
