not
because they’re worthless, but because they’re priceless
Posted onTuesday, April 9,
2019 10:00 am Posted in Health, Inside Veterans
Health by VAntage Point Contributor 516 views
VA salutes our
thousands of Volunteers during this National Volunteer Week.
We celebrate the
volunteer service and shine a light on the men and women in VA facilities
across America. We hope they inspire you to volunteer and,
like them, lend your time and talent to help us care for our Veterans.
Our volunteers come
from every occupation and neighborhood. Here is the journey of one dedicated
young lady from Volunteer to VA employee who proudly states that she is
“Forever Rooted in VA Voluntary Service.”
Meet Melanie Thomas.
If you were to ask my
16-year old self what I wanted to be when I grew up, I would’ve said that I
wanted to be a Marine in the drum corps. I grew up heavily involved in music,
played every instrument I could get my hands on, sang in my church choir, school’s
chorus and took professional voice lessons.
My grandfather, father
figure, and Korean War Veteran didn’t have the heart back then to tell me that
my dream would never become a reality. I was born with a genetic vision
impairment that would ultimately be the deciding factor impacting my ability to
serve my country in this capacity.
Still pursuing my
desire to serve and utilize a completely different set of talents, I found an
alternative career path that I’m sure he would be proud of me for today.
Shortly after
graduating college with a degree in Communications, Public Relations and
Rhetoric, I volunteered at the Wilkes-Barre VA Medical Center in Public
Affairs. Helping with event coordination, various writing assignments, and
working with Veterans gave me the same sense of excitement and fulfillment that
I had originally envisioned for my future.
Listening to Veterans’
stories
As a volunteer I
assisted the Public Affairs Officer with event coordination, writing press
releases and feature stories, designed maps of the congressional district. Most
importantly, I had the pleasure of sitting with Veterans and listening to their
stories.
My favorite memory was
my very first Christmas as an employee in Voluntary Service.
In 2014 I dressed up
as Mrs. Claus for Christmas and delivered gifts to Veterans on Christmas
morning. I had my whole family attend and be part of the gift distribution
because I wasn’t sure I was going to be able to make all the deliveries by
myself.
We had an amazing turn
out of volunteers who choose to be with us that morning. That was when I
realized how important and impactful our volunteer force truly is. They
could’ve chosen to be home with their own families but were at the VA with me.
Without volunteer participation in these types of activities, Veterans
would otherwise go without. The outpouring of generosity displayed by that
group on Christmas morning was overwhelming.
Encouraged by the
professionals who surrounded me, and my passion to serve Veterans, I completed
a master’s degree in business administration. I accepted a Public Affairs
Specialist internship position at the Bay Pines VA
Healthcare System and will complete the program this August.
Forever grateful for
volunteer experience
My volunteer
experience in the VA Voluntary Service program as a volunteer and later as an
employee has provided me with a solid foundation for my career and I am forever
grateful.
It has shaped me as a
servant leader, enhanced my overall perspective of the organization and life in
general, has helped me develop as a compassionate collaborator, skilled
communicator, and a problem solver.
On a personal level,
volunteering has also helped me to demonstrate and set an example for my son
with the same genetic condition. Although challenges are sometimes inevitable,
there will always be opportunities to accomplish great things if you work hard
and persevere.
As I continue to
advance my career with VA, I’m excited about my future and am thankful for my
roots planted in VA’s Voluntary Service program.
For more information
about how you can utilize your talents to help serve Veterans in your local
community please visit: https://www.volunteer.va.gov/.
Melanie L. Thomas,
MBA, Public Affairs Specialist, Wilkes-Barre VA Medical Center
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