The organization that does so much to help Soldiers and their families is now in need of help.
Army Community Service, which houses a number of assistive programs and services, relies on volunteers to keep operations running smoothly.
Jeannie Johnston, ACS division chief, said the most critical need is in “information referral” at the front desk, where volunteers greet visitors at the office on Aerobee Road, and answer the phone.
“You get to answer a lot of questions about a variety of things,” she said. “It’s definitely a good spot for a people person.”
Ideally, ACS will have two volunteers at the front desk during every shift, typically either four hours in the morning or four hours in the afternoon, but days and hours are flexible.
“We’ll take anything. One day a week. I have some that do three to four days a week,” she said, adding that she has openings for at least four part-time volunteers.
Training is typically a matter of observing someone else in action on the job. “They shadow with a volunteer that’s most seasoned,” Johnston said.
Volunteers can also customize the work they do at ACS, Johnston said, by assisting with any of the following programs and services: Army Volunteer Corps, Exceptional Family Member Program, Family Advocacy Program, Financial Readiness, Information and Referral, Mobilization and Deployment, Relocation Readiness and Survivor Outreach Services.
Shyann Lettis of Huntsville has been an ACS front desk volunteer for about a year, although the work only recently resumed after COVID-19 prompted a long
closure of the office.
She and her husband of two years, Thomas Lettis, a retired command sergeant major who is now director of metrology at the Arsenal, moved to Huntsville about two years ago.
The couple were having lunch at the Java Cafe when she stopped by the front desk and inquired about the possible need for volunteer help, Lettis said.
Soon after, she began working three part-time days a week in an administrative and secretarial capacity. Much of the work involves the in-processing and out-processing of families moving in or out of the Arsenal, she said, adding that the biggest key is pointing people in the right direction.
“We make sure we get Soldiers and their families to the right resource,” said Lettis, a native of Toronto, Ontario, and a retired police officer.
She recommends the work to anyone who has time to spare during the week.
“It’s gratifying,” she said. “You get to meet different people.”
For more information about volunteer work at ACS, call Johnston at 876-5397, or stop by the office at the Pershing Welcome Center, 3443 Aerobee Road, and complete an application.
| Date Taken: | 06.16.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 07.02.2021 11:26 |
| Story ID: | 399086 |
| Location: | HUNTSVILLE, AL, US |
| Web Views: | 24 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Army Community Service seeks volunteers for gratifying work, by Jonathan Stinson, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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