Dear Friend,

 

I’d like to share a few thoughts that might help you decide whether or not to become a TIP volunteer. First, I’ll share with you specifically what I love about TIP; why I’m so passionate. Second, I’ll discuss what’s in it for you.

 

Here are the 5 aspects of TIP I’m passionate about:

 

1. Simplicity: TIP is a simple grassroots program of neighbors helping neighbors. I often refer to TIP as a modern-day Good Samaritan program. In this “high-tech” age, TIP is a simple human way of making a hands-on difference in the lives of others, often strangers.
    

2. Major Impact: Our volunteers make a huge difference to those they help. It’s not unusual for someone we helped to say something like “I’ll never forget that volunteer angel.” We know that a TIP volunteer’s immediate presence during the worst times in a person’s life is a major factor in a client’s healing process. But the presence of a TIP volunteer on an emergency scene does not only benefit survivors of tragedy. When a TIP volunteer arrives on a scene it is also a huge relief for emergency responders and hospital personnel. They report that TIP volunteers save them time and reduce their stress.
    

3. High Performance: There is nothing boring about TIP. I often refer to us as the “swat team” of the human services system. Our motto is “always ready, always there.” If you join TIP you will be joining an organization with high standards which values excellence in everything we do.
    

4. Daily Disasters: There are many fine organizations in this country which respond to “the big ones” (floods, earthquakes, etc.). TIP volunteers respond to the singular tragedies which occur day in and day out in our communities and which are not seen on the 6 o’clock news. We believe when an 85- year-old woman finds her husband of 60 years dead, that this is her “earthquake.”
    

5. Volunteers: Our volunteers convey something very special to those they help. They convey “I’m here because I want to be not because I have to be.” Our clients are often touched by the fact that a volunteer got out of bed at 2 am just to be with them in their time of need. So, what’s in it for you? How will you benefit from TIP volunteering? If you decide to join TIP, let me say this — you will be a better person for it. The unique experience of helping others at the worst time in their lives will change you in very important and positive ways. TIP volunteers say that they are not the same individuals they were before volunteering for TIP. They are more compassionate, more tolerant, and more grateful for what they have and for the loved ones in their lives.

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Let me discuss 4 major ways TIP will positively affect you as a person.

 

1. Each of us as human beings has a need to make a difference in the world, to contribute to society and to help others. TIP volunteering is a tangible hands-on way of making a difference. As one volunteer put it, “I’m changing the world one trauma at a time.” TIP volunteers know from the thank you letters they receive that they are making the experience of tragedy more bearable for victims and the jobs of emergency responders less stressful and more gratifying.
    

2. The second way that TIP volunteering will affect you is by giving you important skills most people don’t have. You will use the Emotional First Aid skills you learn not only in TIP, but also when tragedy strikes in your neighborhood, in your workplaces, and yes, even in your own family. As one volunteer put it, “I’m now actually able to help when bad things happen around me rather than standing idly by or making matters worse.” Beyond learning Emotional First Aid Skills, you will learn many other things as a TIP volunteer you just can’t learn elsewhere. TIP volunteers learn about people from various religions and cultures; they learn about the different ways people grieve; and they get an inside look at how the 911 system works and hospital emergency departments operate.
    

3. The third way that TIP will affect you is that you will gain a greater appreciation of life and those who are in your life. Many of the situations you will respond to as a TIP volunteer involve a sudden death. You can’t come away from these situations without appreciating the fact you are alive and that those you love are alive and well.
    

4. The fourth way TIP will affect you is that it will put your own problems in perspective. When you see the horrible tragedies that others experience, it makes those day-to-day problems in your life seem quite trivial. As one volunteer put it: “Before TIP I was quite a complainer. No more.” What I’m saying is that while most people came to TIP to help others they soon find out that they, too, benefit by being in the program. Over the years I’ve had volunteers tell me over and over again, “Wayne, I get much more out of TIP than I give.”
    

​Finally, let me tell you about what you can expect from our organization if you decide to join. Simply put, we will take care of you. We will do everything possible to ensure your TIP experience is safe, and we will provide you with the necessary training and materials to be an effective TIP volunteer. TIP volunteers are the most important people in our organization, and our top priority is to take care of them. Thanks for taking the time to read about my perspective on TIP volunteering. Of course, I hope you will take the next step and attend a TIP Volunteer Training Academy. But if you decide not to…I wish you well.

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To register, click here.