Cape Cod Volunteers is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to link people with meaningful opportunities for volunteering on Cape Cod. We do this by informing Cape Codders—residents and visitors alike—about the many opportunities, programs, and agencies that exist in our community, and by helping people identify their own interests, skills, talents, and passion for service to the community. Our vision is to create a network of organizations and opportunities that will inform, inspire, and engage people of all ages and backgrounds in strengthening our community through volunteering.
Cape Cod Volunteers began as an initiative of the Cape Cod Foundation in partnership with CapeCodOnline.com and Barnstable County . While at the Foundation, Cape Cod Volunteers was guided by an Advisory Committee of thirteen community members and nonprofit representatives, and chaired by Brian O’Connell, Co-Founder of Independent Sector. The initiative began in 2006 with a community assessment involving over 200 community members and nonprofit representatives. The assessment found that although Cape Codders are generally involved in their communities, there are barriers to volunteering, such as knowing where the opportunities are and finding the right one. These barriers can be especially challenging for older adults who may have recently retired and/or those who have moved to Cape Cod from other communities. In November 2010, to address the identified barriers and the significant potential of volunteerism, Cape Cod Volunteers transitioned into an independent nonprofit organization.
Cape Cod Volunteers is based on the philosophy that everyone has skills, experience, and talents they can contribute to building a stronger community, and that volunteering presents many opportunities to enrich one’s life. Cape Cod Volunteers’ work is based on the following values:
Tap into the skills, talents, passion, and experience of all residents and visitors so that they can contribute in meaningful ways to strengthen our community.
Help improve the capacity of nonprofit organizations and municipalities to effectively engage volunteers in community service.
Create an efficient and sustainable model for community involvement.
Promote volunteering on Cape Cod as a crucial activity for all people and for the health of our community
Provide accessible and user-friendly methods for all residents and visitors on Cape Cod to find meaningful opportunities for community service.
Jeanne Adams is a former public health nurse and program developer/administrator for a variety of programs in the Boston area and Rhode Island. She and her husband moved to Falmouth in 1994 after 50 years of summers and weekends in Mashpee. Their daughter Tish is a popular jazz vocalist in the greater Rhode Island area. Jeanne’s past volunteer activities have ranged from being a camp nurse and lifeguard to Providence Foster Grandparents Board President to fundraising for The Rhode Island Black Heritage Society events. She has found opportunities for ongoing involvement in the Cape community, especially in the health and human services field. Her participation in projects such as the Community Health Needs Assessment Project, the Lighthouse Health Access Alliance, and the County/local health and human services advisory groups has offered interesting challenges, as did the Mashpee Wampanoag Health Advisory Committee. Through her work, Jeanne has come to believe that volunteering gives one a new purpose, the chance to contribute, the prospect of learning new skills, and finding new friends with common interests.
Adele Bloomfield grew up in Cohasset, MA, a small town south of Boston. Her family has been vacationing on the Cape since the 1930’s, and it was only a matter of time before she would move here herself. She raised her four children in rural Vermont and then later in southern New Hampshire. When Adele could find free time, she spent it volunteering in a multitude of school and after school programs (i.e. PTO, band, soccer, lacrosse, and ski racing clubs) for the next 25+ years. To date, Adele’s favorite volunteer job was being a docent in an art museum. There, she learned how to give engaging, inquiry-based tours to elementary school children, and found the experience to be deeply gratifying. Adele believes that volunteering presents many unique opportunities, including the possibility of discovering one’s hidden passion, while doing good works for others. Throughout her life, Adele has enjoyed matching people with product. Presently, she works for a local Chamber of Commerce, helping tourists plan memorable Cape Cod vacations suited to their personalities. She is keenly interested in helping potential volunteers find the volunteer position that’s right for them – one that fits nicely into their lifestyle, and that they find to be meaningful and fulfilling.
Richard Brothers (Rich) grew up in Roxbury, MA, and is a “Summer Kid Washashore,” (so-named for the childhood summers he spent on the Cape). Rich considers himself very fortunate to have learned about the wonders of Cape Cod and the Islands from the young age of 11. Rich and his wife Ellen bought their first Cape Cod home in 1983 – a weekend haven from Boston, where they both worked for Blue Cross and Blue Shield for more than 20 years. Rich then took a position representing all of the United Ways in New England in large, multi-site companies for 14 years before taking his current position as President of The Cape And Islands United Way in 1998. Rich’s favorite volunteer job is playing Santa Claus each season at A Baby Center and at CapeAbilities. In his opinion, volunteering is vital. It fulfills a community need while providing an even greater reward to the volunteer – that is, the knowledge that they have added value to this wonderful community. Rich is very proud to have been asked to be on the inaugural Board of Directors of this very exciting venture, Cape Cod Volunteers.
Prior to finding some sand between her toes, Sue Daggett was serving as the director of a Professional Development School Teaching Center that linked a large, suburban school district with Syracuse University. The job simultaneously presented her with the practical challenges of public school education and the support of a strong teaching and learning research center. Sharing resources between the two programs gave Sue a sense of how enriching meaningful partnerships can be. When Sue came to the Cape to write her dissertation at a friend’s summer home in Harwich, it didn’t take long for her to be drawn into the community – her new goal became finding a way to stay on Cape! Sue has volunteered all her life. Her parents reached out to help neighbors and others in need at the local level and it was something Sue and her two siblings took up naturally. She believes that there are times in a person’s life when time is their greatest asset and strongest resource; and she has long recognized the adage that in giving, you get so much more back. Most recently, Sue worked for a nonprofit, where she was surrounded by volunteers. She valued the time that she volunteered along side them, building relationships and gaining greater insights into the rewards and challenges of volunteering. Sue believes volunteering is important because it is something everyone can and (might she add) should do!
Renalde Gelinas is known by Ronnie to all but her childhood friends. Ronnie grew up and raised her family in the Leominster/Fitchburg area. She is married to Andre Gelinas and has five children and 8 grandchildren. Ronnie’s mother and husband were her inspiration for volunteering. Her mother set the example early on by volunteering at schools. And, from the start of his career, her husband was committed to volunteering his services for many organizations in the community. While raising her children, Ronnie began volunteer in their schools. While teaching part-time and volunteering for many activities, she was offered the position of Public Relations and Development Director at an independent school. After ten years in that position, she returned to teaching French and Latin in the Wachusett School system for 13 years before retiring to Orleans in 2010 where she and her husband have had a summer home since 1972. Ronnie is delighted to be a volunteer consultant with CCV, which she believes is an amazing resource for volunteering on Cape Cod.
Gail Hanson retired in 2006 from working as a lawyer in Boston and gradually transitioned from Beacon Hill to the family’s Brewster vacation home of 20 years. (She and husband Dick, together with dogs, Lucy and Daisy, enjoy the extra space!) Gail has volunteered all her life, including candy-striping in junior high school, volunteering at her boys’ schools, and as an active community volunteer in Longmeadow, MA. Since retiring, she has been active with Nauset Newcomers, the Garden Club of Brewster, Brewster Ladies Library Nominating Committee, and is a founding director of and volunteer for Nauset Neighbors, a recently organized nonprofit whose purpose is to help seniors stay in their homes. Gail believes that now is the time for us to give back to our communities in whatever ways we can, and looks forward to working with Cape Cod Volunteers to make this happen.
Susan “Suz” Karchmer moved to the Cape to retire with her husband, Michael Karchmer, after working for 25 years as a sign language interpreter in the Washington, DC Metro Area. Suz interpreted for performing arts venues like the Kennedy Center, became director of various continuing education programs at Gallaudet University, and started her own floral design business. While Suz was happy to move to the Cape, she looks back on her work with great fondness, and wanted to find new meaningful ways to connect using her skills. Through a neighbor, Suz discovered volunteer work at WE CAN that brought new purpose to her life. She has found that volunteers are part of what makes WE CAN strong and vibrant in its response to the needs of women across the Cape. Suz’s experience, in part, is what motivates her to work with Cape Cod Volunteers – she considers herself lucky to have found meaningful work on her first try. Now Cape Cod Volunteers opens the door to compelling, meaningful Cape Connections for other newly-arrived retirees.
Michael Karchmer moved to the Lower Cape four years ago following a 30-year career as a researcher, professor, and academic administrator at Gallaudet University, the liberal arts university for Deaf students in Washington, DC. In addition to working with Cape Cod Volunteers, he is an officer of Nauset Newcomers, and serves on the Board of the Cape Cod Viewfinders Camera Club. He is an enthusiast photographer, specializing in people and places on the Cape. In addition, Dr. Karchmer is working with other researchers on projects about the early colonial settlement of the Cape. He and his wife Susan live in Harwich.
Mary LeClair, who has just completed a two-year term working as a Constituent Service Representative for Congressman William Delahunt, has had a career in politics as County Commissioner and County Treasurer in Barnstable County. Her first venture on Cape Cod in the early sixties was in banking where she managed a small branch in Mashpee. Volunteering is second nature to her as she has served on several boards including Gosnold as chairman and the Sons of Italy as president. Mary has her home in Mashpee where she lives with her daughter and two Grandsons. She also has a daughter, granddaughter and great grandson in Denver.
Born and raised in Massachusetts, Jim is currently serving as the Director of the Mashpee Council on Aging/Mashpee Senior Center. Jim is a graduate of Malden Catholic High School with a BA from Boston University and an MBA in Health and Hospital Administration from the University of Florida, and he has held various administrative positions in health care in Florida, Rhode Island and Massachusetts. Jim has volunteered on various local Boards including The Boys and Girls Club of Cape Cod, Barnstable County Health and Human Services Advisory Council, Neighborhood Support Coalition, Southeast Regional Councils on Aging, Elder Services of Cape Cod & the Islands, and Cape Cod Consortium for At Risk Older Adults.
Lisa McNeill was formerly Vice President of the Cape Cod Foundation, and in that role she participated in a national initiative, Community Experience Partnership, which helped to establish Cape Cod Volunteers as a new organization in November 2010. She continues to enjoy working with the volunteers that helped to create CCV and new volunteers that are adding their energy to the work!
Since 1992, Lisa has worked for organizations that seek to improve the capacity of nonprofits and people to address community issues, including groups in the U.S., the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and El Salvador. Lisa moved to Cape Cod in 1996, and since then, she has researched social, environmental, and economic issues facing Cape Cod, including her work on the Cape Cod Sustainability Indicator Reports, and as primary author of the Cape Cod Foundation’s 2009 report, Understanding Cape Cod. She and her husband have been foster parents for about 6 years, and they live in Yarmouth Port with their two dogs. Click here to email Lisa.
Before retiring with her husband to East Orleans in May 2010, Pat Rowell had a career at Mass General Hospital in Boston as Director of Volunteer and Medical Interpreter Services. She loved facilitating and supporting the interests of hundreds of folks (of all ages) who looked to the hospital to volunteer. Pat has found new fulfillment through her involvement with Cape Cod Volunteers, where she can lend her expertise and join hands with like-minded neighbors to make a difference in the community where she lives. Her lifetime’s work with volunteers has shown her the many benefits of volunteering, and she is grateful that it has given her the opportunity to make connections and contribute to her new community. Pat looks forward to helping nonprofits expand their capacity by engaging neighbors in their work… a true win-win!
Orleans resident Mary Ryan moved to Cape Cod to retire with her husband Win in April 2010. To get involved in her new community before becoming a full-time resident, Mary started volunteering. She has been at it since 2008, participating in (and now overseeing) the Cape and Islands United Way Community Investment Committee process, which is responsible for ensuring that United Way funds are distributed appropriately to nonprofits on Cape Cod. In her previous life (i.e., pre-retirement), Mary managed large-scale technology development projects in multiple industries. She spent the last ten years of her career as a Senior Vice President within the technology division of State Street Bank, responsible for setting strategic direction for technology development. In her spare time, Mary loves going to the beach, kayaking, reading, and hanging out with her grandchildren.
Mead Sommers moved to the Cape in 1994. After a career in advertising, marketing, and general management, he co-founded Cape Cod Docks, Inc., a marine construction company. In 2008, he sold his share to his partner and retired. Like many retirees, he thought he would fill his time with golfing, boating, and reading as many newspapers as he desired, but after a few weeks, he found something was missing. Wanting to do something more meaningful with his time, skills, and experience, the New Seabury resident decided to volunteer. But he found it wasn’t easy to find opportunities that matched his background. Mead got involved with Cape Cod Volunteers to help clear the path for others who might find themselves in a similar situation – that is, wanting to get involved but unsure of how to go about finding a truly fulfilling volunteer position. Mead and his wife, Kathi have made volunteering and involvement in their community an integral part of their lives on the Cape. They regularly visit their daughter and her family in California.
Kathi Sommers comes from a tradition of voluntarism, her grandmother and her mother volunteering in hospitals into their eighties. As a teen, Kathi began as a hospital page. Later as a facilitator and workshop leader, she led groups of women in career development and public speaking. She became a child advocate and served on the Executive Board as Advocacy Director, and then Chairman of the Search Committee for the Executive Director of the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (MSPCC). Three years as President of the League of Women Voters of Weston, MA led her to work as a Legislative Aide to a State Representative. After her move to the Cape in 1994, she became President of the local MSPCC. For the past eight years she has been a Mediator in the Barnstable Courts.
Brooks Thayer, a Cape Cod native and Chairman of the Cape Cod Volunteers Board, is thrilled to see an organization that brings together nonprofits and volunteers come to the Cape. Brooks has always believed in the value of volunteering, especially given the Cape’s unique situation. (About 25% of the population is older than 65, and we are served by more than a thousand nonprofit organizations). In fact, he currently volunteers at the Orleans Council on Aging. He has also been an active member of the Orleans Fire Department and Rescue Squad for more than 30 years. Brooks is a lawyer by trade, and is a member of the Massachusetts, Boston, and Barnstable County Bar Associations. In his spare time, Brooks enjoys fishing. Prior affiliations include Cape Cod Foundation, Joshua Nickerson Society, and Cape Cod Museum of Natural History.
Thank you to the folks below who have taken the time to share their stories with us! We are always grateful to get feedback on how we’re doing so whether it’s positive or negative, please help us improve our services – share your story with us today.
Volunteers
“I started volunteering for Plan It Network this summer after seeing the opportunity listed on the Cape Cod Volunteers website, and became part of their creative arts group that met weekly over the summer.
The group incorporated acting, singing, making music, and dancing. We all worked together rehearsing a scene from Romeo and Juliet , learned how to play hand drums, and practiced a rap song written to highlight the abilities of the members and their desire for respect and acceptance. Everyone involved had a great time!
Plan It Network provides fun social activities for adults with developmental challenges that enrich the lives of the members in so many ways. I feel lucky to have found such a rewarding volunteer opportunity and I will continue to be a part of it. I encourage anyone who thinks they might enjoy working with this wonderful group of people to check it out. We are always looking for more volunteers!” -Laurie, Plan It Network Volunteer
Nonprofit Organizations
“We’ve received all types of help from Cape Cod Volunteers. It all depends on what you ask for! From a mother and son team who baked pies together for our Pre-Thanksgiving Pie Auction Fundraiser to an empty nester assisting with childcare for our Effective Parenting Series: we’ve always been thrilled with Cape Cod Volunteers and their generosity.” -Tina Toran, Coalition for Children
“Getting a summer volunteer through the CCV website was a win-win experience for us and for the college volunteer. She’s a senior in public health and her family has lived on the Cape for many summers. Through her unique hands-on experience she learned about the real human needs of many of our year-round residents, and we got a volunteer who’s already passionate about our mission!”-B.L. Hathaway, Oral Health Excellence Collaborative (OHEC)
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