Reporter Volume 25, No.21 March 17, 1994

AAA
By BETHANY GLADKOWSKI
Reporter Staff
In just five months from May to December of last year, 2,118 hours of
human effort sent out half of a million letters; ushered in thousands
of patrons of the arts, seated hundreds of sports fans, catalogued
multitudes of artifacts, and countless other valuable services. Since
1990, the individuals who produced that effort contributed nearly
10,000 hours of their time to the university's productivity--and were
paid not one thin dime.
	They are Rev-up volunteers, and you might say they've already
paid their dues. Working with the University Emeritus Center and the
Personnel Department, Rev-up assigns retired UB employees to
short-term volunteer engagements in various departments which need
extra help. According to program coordinator Lee Baker, the jobs may
range from large group functions such as mass mailings or ushering at
university-sponsored public events to solitary endeavors such as
monitoring in the Fine Arts Gallery. 
	Some volunteers stay with a particular department on a regular
weekly schedule, and others vary their tasks from place to place. Some
engage in projects which are similar to their former careers. "One
woman sorts and files artifacts at the Anthropology museum, another
does bookkeeping in the Student Health business office, one works at
the Speech and Hearing Clinic, and there's one woman who used to work
in the Health Sciences Library who edited a manuscript for a professor
in the Philosophy Department. She put in a total of 47 hours on that
project," says Baker. 
	Formed in 1990 by Rosalyn Wilkinson in conjunction with the
University Emeritus Center, the Rev-up program fills a unique niche
between the university's retired employees and departments that need
supplemental staff for projects which may not justify hiring another
full-time staff member. 
	"The major thrust of the program is to let retirees continue
to feel connected to the university. To be part of the university
family is psychologically important," said Wilkinson. Their goal, she
said, is to find necessary tasks which are enjoyable for the
volunteers, and make them  feel appreciated. In addition  to being the
first of its kind in the SUNY system--and probably in the country,
said Wilkinson, starting a volunteer program which enlists from the
retired community was "very easy" because it "benefits everyone." The
figures show its growing support. According to Baker, the number of
participants has grown from 12 volunteers the first year to nearly 80
volunteers in 1994--and continues to grow each year. Starting with 323
hours of service the first three months of the program, the average
now is about 2,000 hours of service a year. Baker predicts that about
3,000 hours will be completed in  the  1993-1994 year.
	It's also easier to recruit former UB employees because they
are familiar with the personnel and layout of the university and enjoy
returning on an informal basis. Volunteers from the community might be
more intimidated because they would not know their way around, says
Baker. She says that this has been an important factor, especially for
projects like the university-run Red Cross Bloodmobile. "There's no
finer person than a volunteer," she says, and after their years of
productivity for the university, the program "extends their
usefulness." 
	Returning to the university allows retirees to maintain
connections to their friends and colleagues without the committment of
a full-time schedule. Since some projects require a number of
volunteers, it serves as a social network, as well. "They get to
intermingle and renew stories. It's a period of congeniality and
sociability, as well as getting the work done," said Baker.
	Bob Hunt, former Emeritus Center president and former director
of the Department of Environmental Health and Safety says, "We'd be
there anyway" for the functions at which he and his wife usher. Hunt
and his wife seated  fans at UB football games all this season, and
he's helped monitor the Rumsey exhibit at the Fine Arts Gallery. "My
wife and I really enjoyed the football games. And at the Distinguished
Speaker Series, I saw many of my past colleagues. It helps me keep in
touch with old  friends."
	Hunt says that he and his wife enjoy volunteer work, and that
he had prepared for five years before retirement for the "whole new
life" which awaited him. 
	Dr. Theresa Chun, a pediatrician formerly at Children's
Hospital, uses the Rev-up program as an opportunity to add a quality
to her work which wasn't possible as a full-time  employee. "I knew I
wanted to keep working," she says.
	She has been seeing patients at the Student Health office in
Michael Hall every week since she started volunteering in 1987. "Some
students come in with lengthy problems. When I was working full time,
we had to see all the people in the waiting room and rush through each
case. I've decided now that I will take as much time as needed with
each case, even though it might mean I see only one or two patients in
a day. Now I can spend time with the students, listen to them, and
assure them  that I care. I can see it in their faces when they leave.
That's very satisfying to me."
	Administrative assistant Jean Immiolo in the Student Health
office where Dr. Chun volunteers says that having Dr. Chun is an asset
to the service. "It's comforting to have someone who can speak with
the Asian American students. It makes the experience more caring and
beneficial," she says. 
	Dr. Chun  is fluent in Korean, Japanese, and English, and can
write Chinese. "Some students have even come in with a Chinese
dictionary. One case was difficult because we couldn't translate
'intra-uterine device', but we worked that out," she laughs.
	The volunteers are invaluable to university departments which
are short-staffed. Marie Cott has become an aide to the Dental Alumni
Association. Marilyn Sulzbach, sole coordinator of the the
association,  says that having Marie is very valuable. "I think it's a
wonderful...having another set of hands to help me catch up. She helps
me with whatever needs to be done. She's helped put together
Continuing Education material, make up books for different
participants, and  for a convention we just had she made almost all
the name batches and registered the participants."
	Although the program is gaining momentum, its succcess is
solidified by Lee Baker, an employee of the Personnel Department who
has coordinated Rev-up since 1990. She must keep track of each
individual's needs and circumstances, and be able to place them where
they will enjoy the project. Along with a monthly newsletter which
keeps the Rev-up participants up-to-date on who has done what and
introduces new members, Baker also plans a yearly recognition meeting
for the volunteers. Although the volunteers don't always want any
recognition, it's important for the departments to acknowledge their
contributions, she says.
	The fourth annual Rev-up Recognition and Reception is
scheduled  for May 10, with William  Evitts, director of Alumni
Relations, as keynote speaker .