Team CRUDEM: Ludlow, MA Administrative Volunteers

By Karen Riberio

Many hands make light work and it takes a village . . . Both of these lively phrases beautifully convey the cooperative volunteer effort that keeps CRUDEM Foundation operating so smoothly.

Over the past few years, and certainly during the aftermath of Haiti’s massive earthquake in 2010, CRUDEM’s Director of Development & Administration, Dr. Joni Paterson, has assembled a small volunteer team to help with administrative functions like handling mail, processing donations, sending gifts and carrying out various administrative tasks. For many years, women like Sandy Gilbertie, Deb Paine-Moytl and Anise Traynor were steady volunteer supports with a steady stream of work to do from processing volunteer credentials, gathering donated medical supplies and helping out at local fundraisers. Then in 2010, a major earthquake struck Haiti and overnight, buckets of work rained down on CRUDEM; every piece of mail, every electronic communication was a critical life-line of support for the medical services Hôpital Sacré Coeur would deliver.

Listening to Jen Nowak tell the tale of how she was recruited to organize the cash donations, it is easy to imagine her wading through the flood of paperwork filling her basement office—waist high boots and all! Being a self-proclaimed organizational freak, Jen dug into her assignment with gusto and, armed with her QuickBooks and Excel skills, got to work. Her husband began to worry if she’d ever come out of the basement.

Jen’s sister Beth Catarino came over to help one day after work, as a preschool teacher in Ludlow, and was shocked by the ‘crazy’ amount of paperwork stacked all over the office. After a data entry crash course, Beth was on a roll for days entering checks late into the evening hours. Both sisters recount the heartwarming feelings of watching the generosity pour in before their eyes. Coincidentally, both women had already known about the work CRUDEM was doing in Haiti; Jen attends St. Cecilia’s Church, a long time supporter of the mission, and Dr. Kelly, who had previously appealed to the ladies guild at Beth’s church, St. Mary’s Church in Ludlow, is also Beth’s eye doctor.

Another woman who answered the call for help is Jenny Kinder. After two and a half years, Jenny is still happily doing her special part of the process, which is to format all the donor names and addresses in a streamlined way so all receive thank you cards. She now spends just about two hours a week on her task and particularly enjoys seeing the notations on donations made for specific medical equipment or in memory of individual loved ones.
 
Even though Jen Nowak has evolved the accounting process and her “bible” of notes into a super effective system (including breaking down deposit records into batches of 28, the maximum per slip), the occasional weird thing does occur.

Beth recounts the story of a man who accidentally sent CRUDEM his water bill payment. In the good old white pages, she was able to find this man’s phone number and call to let him know she would send it along. Another story recalled with residual trepidation features checks left in the copier, which by the way was a lovely donation from Beth’s husband Fred’s workplace. Copying checks is usually Sandy Gilbertie’s job, but this volunteer system has “checks and balances,” so Beth was filling in. Emails started flying back and forth and soon Joni, being the epitome of calmness and good humor, was able to lift her spirits and assure her that all would be well.

Little details like sending hand written sympathy cards to the family of any donors who have passed on, separating the list of donors from Missouri so that Susan Reese, widow of co-founder Carlos Reese, can send a personal thank you, and storing, packaging and sending out all the special thank you gift merchandise for donors are just some of the behind the scenes activities. This last weekly task is performed by Sandy and John Gilbertie’s daughter Kim Nuzzo from her home in Connecticut. Kim generously appropriates premium floor space as part of the whole team CRUDEM effort!

If you appreciate the family spirit in the team CRUDEM volunteer effort, you’ll be happy to learn that Suzanne Woytych, mother of Jen Nowak and Beth Catarino, is also in on the action. Suzanne just learned that she will be a great grandmother for the fourth time—another volunteer in the making, perhaps?

Suzanne is a retired nurse and loves being blessed with the ability to help people wherever she can. In her early years, she relocated often with her husband as he was in the Air Force. One assignment was to Newfoundland. Everyone there was (far) away from home and, as Suzanne reminisces, “we all did for each other.” One friend was helped so greatly that when she asked, “how can I ever repay you?” the response was simply, “you pass it on to someone else.”

What Suzanne passes on for CRUDEM donors are special gift wrapped thank you presents. She wraps 25th Anniversary books, small books of photographs, and gorgeous hand-embroidered pieces of linen with scalloped edges in bright, vibrant colors that bring Haitian—and donor’s—tables to life. She also personalizes thank you cards to send along with these gifts. In the beginning, Suzanne’s first assignment was to collect hardcover books to send to staff in Haiti to help them learn the English language. After figuring out the parameters of what could be sent, she then added the Angel of the Day donor cards to her duties.

Of course no donations would come in the mail and no gifts would be sent if it wasn’t for the many fundraising efforts taking place day in and day out. Supporting Joni Paterson in this are the generous efforts of Sandy and John Gilbertie, along with many other long time volunteers.

All the Ludlow volunteers were asked what would happen if they could wave a magic wand for CRUDEM. Some of the answers were to give CRUDEM all the money, resources and talent they need to keep teaching the people of Haiti how to have a better life for themselves. Others specifically addressed the challenge the medical volunteers and staff face each day, of knowing the exact technology needed to save lives and improve the health of the Haitian community throughout Milot, but not having the resources to bring it to the hospital. Resources are tight all around and volunteers this good are a gift and a Godsend.

One magic wand would help people see more of what is needed and give them the assurance that they can provide that help. “Haiti is a different culture.
We can’t always understand their customs and the hardships they have endured. Unlike here in the states, Haitian families come to the hospital and care for their loved ones, bathe them, heal them. And it’s an act of God that CRUDEM is there helping out.”

It does take many hands to heal and a village to provide support. Grace, generosity and gratitude runs strong through the CRUDEM staff and volunteers alike, particularly this administrative team in Massachusetts, each one doing her part, week in and week out, religiously. Or, as the Haitian proverb says, “Men anpil chay pa lou” (Many hands make the load lighter).


 
Karen Ribeiro is a life and business development coach. She is also the author of the Inner Fortune achievement system, the memoir, Thirsty: Journaling to Survive, Thrive and Feel Alive, and is a contributing writer to the Fearless Voices: True Stories by Courageous Women anthology.
Through the artful exploration of internal motivation, effective discipline and resonance, Karen compassionately and intuitively supports the diverse, brave and heart-felt ambitions of her clients. She also writes about a variety of inspired topics in her blog and welcomes posts to her Find Your Fearlessness Facebook page. For more about her Inner Fortune system or Karen’s coaching, go to www.innerfortune.com.