Volunteers get paid in other ways

The county honors three of its volunteers, who find satisfaction and respect without a paycheck.

By MICHELE MILLER

© St. Petersburg Times, published May 10, 2000

There's little doubt that volunteers are an integral part of educating today's youth. There are many throughout Pasco County who collectively donate thousands of hours, taking on such tasks as tutoring students, doing office work, chaperoning on field trips or pitching in on school maintenance.

While the gift of giving is priceless, each year Pasco County gives thanks by recognizing the efforts of three outstanding individuals who are honored as the youth, adult and senior volunteer of the year.

When Pasco's Youth Volunteer of the Year, Ricky Balkcom, heard that Seven Springs Elementary School needed volunteers to help out during summer school, the 16-year-old River Ridge student was more than willing to sign up.

"I needed something to do over the summer and I like working with kids and they tend to like me," said Ricky, who spent the bulk of his summer break tutoring special needs students at his former alma mater.

"He came just about every day," said Monica Verra, a resource teacher at Seven Springs Elementary who assigned Ricky to work one on one with students in need of extra help. Verra, who taught Ricky as a fifth-grade student, said she was pleased to see her former student had "turned into such a nice young man."

"He was just so diligent and patient and kind to the kids," said Verra. "They looked forward to him coming in every day. They were always asking, "Can Mr. Ricky work with me today?"

As far as Ricky is concerned, the experience was a good one that went a long way toward building his self-esteem.

"I was happy with it," he said. "It was nice getting the award and hearing people I worked with saying, "He's such a good person.' "

Ricky is aware of the effect a non-authority figure can have on youngsters.

"Young people can actually teach younger students better because they (younger students) listen better," he said. "They're more interested in having someone like me, a peer, to help them."

While Ricky is hoping to get a job this summer and plans to spend some time in summer school for the Air Force ROTC, "just because I want to," he advises other high school students to consider giving some of their time to summer school programs.

"You might not be crazy about getting up in the morning but it won't kill you," he says. "And it might turn out that you'll get an award."

Sarah Varga was a stay-at-home mom when she first started volunteering. While her desire was to work in her first-grade son's classroom, because of the teacher's policy, she was steered away from that. Instead, she ended up working with other people's children -- in particular those with disabilities.

When she showed up that first day, the teacher in that classroom was incredibly grateful, Varga said.

"She told me, "No one has ever come to work in my classroom,' " Varga said. "Then I was hooked."

Now, some six years later, Varga has been named the Adult Volunteer of the Year at Sand Pine Elementary School in Wesley Chapel, where her primary duties include tallying volunteer hours and contacting volunteers when a call goes out for help.

But there's much more. According to volunteer coordinator and reading specialist Rayann Mitchell, Varga is a jack-of-all-trades.

"She is basically one of our staff without getting paid," Mitchell said. "She's in every part of the school -- she's here for field day, at the buses for dismissal, in the media center, she works in the classroom and on Parent to Kid workshops."

To her credit, said Mitchell, Varga sets a good example for her fourth-grade daughter, Lacey, and her son Austin, a seventh-grader at Weightman Middle School who now volunteers one afternoon a week in the media center at Sand Pine.

"That shows really strong morals to instill in her kids -- to give something back," said Mitchell, adding that volunteering can often be a thankless task.

"No one says "thanks' for processing those 39 forms for field trips; they just think it's someone's job," Mitchell said.

But Varga says she gets her kudos from the children who remember her years after she worked with them.

"When you have a kid that comes up to you and says, "I'm reading because of you,' now that's my payment," Varga said.

Jean Kucharski has become known as "The Queen of Dittos" at Hudson Elementary School. For the past 14 years, the 84-year-old retired secretary has been volunteering two days a week at the school, taking time off only to care for her ailing sister and her husband, George, both of whom passed away last year.

"I had retired and didn't know what to do with myself and I had a lot of energy," said Kucharski, who signed on at Hudson Elementary after reading about the need for volunteers in a local newspaper. "This is a heavenly place to be. The teachers, the children, everyone is so wonderful here."

When not running off copies for teachers, Kucharski can be found cleaning and shelving books and helping out with inventory in the media center. In the past she has tutored students and worked with those in need of extra help in the America Reads program.

"She's an angel and a wonderful asset to the children at Hudson Elementary School," said assistant media specialist Linda Erb. "She even brings in special presents and school supplies for needy students." If not for volunteers like Kucharski, said Erb, "This job would be overwhelming."

"I just enjoy it," said Kucharski, who also spends one day a week volunteering for the Lighthouse for the Blind in Port Richey. "It does more for me than the people I help. It gives me a feeling of being needed and being able to do something for somebody."

Kucharski says she is grateful for the honor of being named Senior Volunteer of the Year and is somewhat uncomfortable with her recent celebrity status.

"Of all the people in Pasco County, all the senior volunteers, I couldn't believe they picked me," she said. "I'm still in shock."

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