Volunteer Professionals for Medical Advancement
Lessons Learned (Continued)
disadvantaged youths. This volunteer has a daughter with a slightly deformed hand and she found it difficult to cope with the deformity as she grew up. This volunteer became very interested in helping develop equipment to support handicapped patients.

A volunteer expressed interest in the Harbor UCLA Medical Center because it was close to where he lived and he was familiar with it. I decided to follow the advice I received from Herman Bank and telephoned the hospital in August 2001 to make contact. I was referred to the Director of Volunteer Services, Maxine Morales, who was on vacation. When she returned, I met with her and explained to her about VPMA and our interest in volunteering to help Harbor UCLA Medical Center. I left a copy of the VPMA video with her. We discussed the types of personnel, different backgrounds and medical interests. She said she believes there are numerous possibilities and she would meet with her boss. This was the start of numerous delays, excuses and frustrations in trying to even talk with her on the phone. In April of the next year I finally gave up. I am not interested in fighting the system or telephoning numerous persons in order to provide volunteers.

Lesson Learned: People volunteer to do things in which they are knowledgeable and interested. They do not volunteer to perform tasks that do not interest them or tasks that they do not understand. In










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