Fifty million adults and nearly 300,000 children are living with arthritis – and without the dedicated and selfless service of its volunteers, the Arthritis Foundation couldn’t hope to reach them all. “In the nonprofit world we can’t buy enough volunteers,” says Steve Rock, director of special services for the Heartland Region.
With the nationwide average of 8.1 billion hours of volunteer service worth $169 billion, Rock isn’t exaggerating. But the value of volunteerism is about more than just its monetary equivalent – or even the sense of fulfillment and significant health benefits volunteering can provide. It’s about making a difference in people’s lives, and offering solace, support and hope to those in need.
Each year the Foundation honors those who exemplify volunteerism, awarding those who give generously of their time and hard work. The winners profiled below are prime examples of how big a difference one person can make in the fight against arthritis.
Life Improvement Series Volunteer of the Year Award
Rosemarie Naples, New England Region, Northern and Southern New England
Rosemarie Naples started teaching aquatic exercise to people with arthritis 20 years ago, after she retired at 61 and joined her local YMCA to help her lose 40 pounds. Within six months of becoming a certified leader of the Arthritis Foundation Aquatic Program, Rosemarie was conducting regular training classes and leading an average of four workshops a year, training nearly 500 other leaders.
At 82, Rosemarie is the Foundation’s oldest instructor still teaching, and she continues to teach two classes twice a week, despite the osteoarthritis in her back, legs and hands; a triple bypass; and two artificial knees. No matter what else is happening, “I always bounce right back into the pool,” says the energetic Rosemarie, who gathers her students at her house for a picnic once a year, and takes time to celebrate birthdays and holidays in her classes. “My program isn’t just for arthritis,” she says. “It’s a social program.”
Lorraine Potocki Arthritis Walk Award
Kelli Schandel, Great West Region, Rocky Mountain
As a young mom, Kelli Schandel woke up the day after moving her family into a new home and thought she was simply sore from the move. The diagnosis proved to be rheumatoid arthritis, or RA, and through seeking a support system Kelli quickly became active in her chapter’s Arthritis Walk. Her golden retriever, Lambo (named for the Green Bay Packers’ Lambo Field, says the self-professed “cheesehead”), encourages Kelli to exercise, and she’s a vocal proponent of partnering with pets to stay in shape and manage the disease. That was why, as a member of the Walk’s committee, she helped spearhead her chapter’s Dog Walk.
Three years ago Kelli was asked to chair the National Dog Walk, working with chapters across the country that are interested in adding a Dog Walk to their own events. “This disease can be a very lonely disease,” she says, but hopes through helping to create Dog Walks all across the country she continues to show those with arthritis that “together you and your dog can get up and get out.”
Jingle Bell Run/Walk Award
Scott Decker, Great Lakes Region, Central Ohio
After Scott Decker’s oldest daughter, Ali, was diagnosed with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, or JRA, at the age of 9, Scott and his wife, Michele, began to attend Foundation events, looking for ways to get involved. Scott eventually joined both the board of his local chapter and the Jingle Bell Run Committee, becoming that event’s chair in 2005. Since then, the event’s gross has increased by almost $75,000, and participation has increased by 1,075. In 2009, his chapter’s Jingle Bell Walk/Run was the third-largest “moving event” in the country; Scott’s team, Cardinal Health, was the nation’s second-largest, raising more than $22,000 with 140 participants.
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