e sse nt i al nonprofit
JUSTDANE RUNS ON VOLUNTEERS
BY KYLE JACOBSON
This past year, we talked about all the ways our community benefits from JustDane’s programs and efforts. Whether it’s Healing House, Circles of Support, or any other undertaking, Linda Ketchum, executive director at JustDane, makes it known that without volunteers, JustDane couldn’t provide a fraction of the services they currently do. “We have about 250 volunteers in various capacities, and our volunteers provide, on an annual basis, the equivalent of about 10 full-time staff hours,” she says.
Circles of Support, a program dedicated to helping those recently released from prison in navigating their reentry into society, has some of JustDane’s most dedicated volunteers, many of whom were once in the system themselves. Linda calls them the meat of the program, and for good reason. Each released person they take on is in a circle of four to six volunteers who meet once a week for a minimum of 90 minutes. To have 15 to 16 circles going at once, there just wouldn’t be the resources without the volunteers.
Volunteering at JustDane starts at its governance. “Our board of directors is all volunteers, and that’s a significant commitment. We meet every month, and each board member agrees in addition to being on the board to serve on at least one other committee.” This also gives committee volunteers who aren’t on the board an opportunity to figure out if they’d like to be more involved with the organization.
During the pandemic, “Circles, I will say, those volunteers, they just flowed with it,” says Linda. “It’s a testament, in part. Some of our volunteers in Circles have been volunteering for over 10 years. Their volunteering, it’s part of their purpose in life. It’s what drives them.”
early months of the pandemic, when uncertainty was particularly high, people were soon back to making meals for those at Healing House, a place where a family or child experiencing homelessness can go to heal after surgery. In other mentoring programs, volunteers worked to become more familiar with technology while JustDane helped to ensure everyone had the devices and software they needed.
That isn’t to say volunteers of other programs aren’t dedicated. After the
Two of my favorite programs at JustDane are Family Connections and Reading
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