Editor’s note: In times of need, who can you count on? Everyday heroes are around us with spontaneous acts of kindness. Following the recent Boston Marathon Bombing, the images of citizens selflessly rushing to the aid of others in the midst of chaos was seen all over the news.
With National Volunteer Week, April 21-27, compassion towards the needs of others is so important. The attributes can be used to describe Excelsior College’s faculty and staff who collectively help various causes throughout the year. This week we will share stories about individuals working in higher education who are making a difference in their community.
Volunteer: Paula Gabris, Administrative Assistant, School of Nursing
Volunteer organizations: Patriot Hills of New York, Autism Society and Alzheimer’s Foundation.
Excelsior Life: Why is volunteerism personally important to you?
Gabris: Volunteerism is important to me because it’s my way of “paying it forward”.
It’s difficult to put into words! Sometimes, I wonder, if it’s an additional gene I was given at birth.
I didn’t volunteer when I was young; I wasn’t told that it is the right thing to do, giving back that is. I really can’t explain it.
Volunteerism has enhanced my personal life in many ways from making new friends to catching up with old friends. It has helped to shape my professional life I have acquired new skills that I apply everyday at my job.
It has become an important part of my lifestyle. I have gained a greater appreciation for life and all it offers, by giving back. There is some self satisfaction and relaxation I get from it. Serving others is something I am good at, I have no expectations when I volunteer, I am there to help because there is a need.
I think Danny Thomas says it best: “Success in life has nothing to do with what you gain in life or accomplish for yourself. It's what you do for others”. -- Danny Thomas
I have volunteered for many organizations over the years and I am still trying to find the one or two organizations that are the best fit for me, that one group that I can give my very best and all my energy to. A lot of times, my volunteerism has been driven by family situations or illness.
Excelsior Life: Does it have a special meaning to you?
Gabris: For the past several years I have put my heart and soul into helping our veterans and their families. I have been a volunteer for a non-for-profit called Patriot Hills of New York ™.
Our mission is to take care of those who have sacrificed so much to defend our freedom. Our goal is to build a facility in the Capital Region where we can provide a safe haven for our nation’s warriors and their loved ones, a place where they can reconnect. We want to provide access to needed services for our military personnel and their families. We believe they did their part now it is our turn to give back to them.
Recently I have decided to volunteer for the Autism Society - my youngest granddaughter Marisa, has been diagnosed with Autism. I am on a mission to learn everything there is about it so I can educate myself and others.
Lastly, I started to volunteer for the Alzheimer’s Foundation since my aunt was recently diagnosed with this very sad disease.
Excelsior Life: The volunteer events you are currently working on?
Gabris: At Excelsior College I am a member of the Community Service Committee and a returning member of the Wellness Committee; outside of work I volunteer for Patriot Hills of New York, the Center for Donation and Transplant and most currently the Autism Society.
‘I am a better person today because I am a Volunteer.”
“The highest reward for a person's work is not what they get for it, but what they become because of it”. -- John Ruskin
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