A growing need for volunteers
Rusk State Hospital's Volunteer Council bridges the gap between what the state can't provide, but what patients still need
BY MICAH BATEMAN
Two weeks ago saw a changing of the guard in the administration of the Volunteer Council for Rusk State Hospital. Though according to Flossie Nixson, chairperson of the board of directors prior to the change, this will not stop her from continuing to help out where she can.

Jared Whisenant and Linda Minton, both Rusk State Hospital employees, water one of the trees on the campus at Rusk State Hospital. PHOTO: GLORIA JENNINGS

"I had to go off the board for a while," she said. "That's just the stated rules. But that won't stop me from volunteering. In fact, I was just getting some clothes ready to donate, which is one of the things we do in volunteer services."

This marks roughly the eighth cycle of the board in the council's 50-year history, and the 26th chairperson. The Volunteer Council was founded in the early 1950s, as incoming chairperson Charles Jeter puts it, "to bridge the gap between what the state does not provide, but what the patients still need." After being formally deemed a non-profit organization in 1954, the board of directors was formed, comprising 12 volunteers cycling every six years and a chairperson cycling every two.

Mr. Jeter became a volunteer years ago after he retired from working 20 years for the hospital as program director of a medical and geriatrics unit. He is the only board member with a substantial amount of hospital experience on the inside. Mr. Jeter said his experience working for the hospital gave him a unique perspective about patients' needs and their relationship to state bureaucracy.

"The gist of what we do is we try to meet the needs of the patient the state does not meet," Mr. Jeter said. "Just because they're in a state hospital, people assume everything they need is provided. But there are a lot of things you don't ask the state for, because you know they won't provide them, that can still enhance the lives of the patients."

According to volunteers, these are the things that in their eyes make Rusk State Hospital less of an institution, and as much of a temporary home for patients as possible.

"All the board members are involved in an adopta patient program," Mr. Jeter said. "So we sponsor patients for their birthdays, for monthly allowances, for canteen refreshments, for Christmas - things of that nature. We make it a point to adopt patients who either have no family or have no money. Some patients have nothing."

"Fulfilling these needs just makes us feel good for the patients," Mrs. Nixson said. "We just enjoy helping those who need a lot of help. They'll get birthday cards for their birthdays, and we'll have Christmas parties for the wards or for different patients. Really we just supply these things; we don't have much personal interaction with the patients. But we know it'll make their days happy for several weeks, and that makes me happy."

Other projects Mrs. Nixson and Mr. Jeter discussed included furnishing some of the wards with furniture such as rockers and recliners for patients and their family members, and equipping gamerooms with electronics for leisure.

Some of the bigger mentions, though, were the vast landscaping projects the council has undertaken. Judy Garner, community relations director for RSH, said the Frederick M. Hedge wilderness campsite organized in the 1970s was in fact the largest volunteer project manifested at the hospital. The campsite remains as a scenic outdoor recreational setting with two lakes for patients to enjoy.

Mrs. Nixson's personal favorite project has been the landscaping revitalization, which has helped to soften the hard edges of the hospital's institutional façade.

"When I first came on board, we bought a bunch of young trees to put out in front of the hospital," she said. "We were just talking about how much they've grown at one of our recent meetings. It's just nice when you can see your efforts for the patients fully grown."

Another important function the council serves is to raise funds, Mrs. Garner said.

"There are two solicitations a year in mailouts for help, and they have started a resale shop in the past three years," she said. "The items in the shop are donated and then sold, and the money goes back into the council." Mrs. Nixson said the shop is open by the hospital on the first and second Friday of each month, and is manned by volunteers.

"It's been going pretty well," Mrs. Garner said. "Our goal for the first year was to make over $1,000, and we did that. Now we're averaging over $200 a month. We hope the revenue just continues to go up."

Mrs. Garner emphasizes that it is not important to be on the board to volunteer. "Anyone can volunteer," she said. "Counting individuals and visiting groups, we have a volunteer force of 65 to 70 people. They come from all over East Texas, not even just here in Rusk.

"We have a lot of things for people to do, depending on what they like. We use volunteers in clerical areas. We use them in program areas, if they want more direct patient contact. We have the resale shop. I usually tell people if they would enjoy volunteering, I could find a place for them."

Mr. Jeter said the board, aside from volunteers, is also dependent on community groups such as churches for donations or ward "adoptions." "I think it would be very difficult to do any of these things on our own," he said.

Now the council is making a concerted effort to attract a younger volunteer base.

"Right now we're coordinating a volunteer fair for Rusk High School," Mrs. Garner said. "This provides an opportunity for all the non-profits in the area to go out and educate the students and let them know what volunteer opportunities are available.

"We're making a big effort for younger people," she said. "The faces of volunteers have sort of changed through the years. For the younger generation, it's important to have volunteer experience for college applications, job opportunities, corporate America: people want to see how you're impacting the world. Volunteering is an excellent way."

Mrs. Jeter said another important project in the works for younger people in the area is a potential job shadowing program for students interested in both clinical and non-clinical jobs in the hospital, including jobs in the areas of social work, psychology and pharmacy.

She said reaching out to a younger volunteer base, just as reaching out to any volunteer, helps to change their perception about the hospital and mental illness.

"I think a lot of the time, people don't realize what Rusk State Hospital is," she said. "I don't think they realize there are people in the hospital receiving treatment, just like any of us. Mental illness will affect one in five Texans within their lifetime. So what volunteering does, and what reaching out to the community does, more than helping the patients, it gives us an opportunity to educate. And to see people's perception change over time, that's my favorite part of the whole process."