Beginning 3/1 and running through National Volunteer Week on 4/25, those who help others will get a helping hand in return. Volunteers can earn money towards stress-relieving massage with the good deeds they already do through Helping Our Helpers.
Sarah Cohen, a local massage therapist in Amherst, New Hampshire, and graduate of McIntosh College in Dover New Hampshire has taken President Obama’s call for more volunteerism and put her own twist on it. Starting a program she calls Helping Our Helpers, she’s rewarding members of the community who donate their valuable time, effort and talent to a need or cause without profiting monetarily.
The program started March 1 and runs through April 25, 2009. During these weeks, volunteers and employees of local nonprofit organizations will be able to earn money off of a massage with the work that they already are doing. The program was designed not only to inspire people to volunteer in the community, but to reward the thousands who already volunteer on a regular basis with no expectations of reward or recognition.
“I watched President Obama when he kicked off his ‘Renew America Together’ initiative in January,” said Cohen. “His message is that every individual can make a difference and that we have a responsibility to make a difference. And that’s something that rang very true for me.”
Cohen has a family tradition of community involvement and volunteerism. With both parents involved in New Hampshire nonprofit organizations designed to help their communities, she grew up understanding that community service is a responsibility as well as a privilege. As a licensed massage therapist, Cohen has been involving herself in many different charity events for years. She’s donated to Bridges NH, the Boys’ & Girls’ Club, NHPTV and Autism Speaks, among others.
“Normally, I’ll donate chair massage services at an event, or gift certificates for a fund-raising auction,” said Cohen, “but those donations go to help raise funds for the organization. While I’m not going to stop doing that, I really wanted to come up with a way to thank the volunteers and nonprofit employees directly.”
And so, Helping Our Helpers was born. After speaking with different friends and community workers, Cohen came up with an incentive program for massage therapy. Every 10 hours volunteered (or 15 hours of paid work) would earn the worker 10 dollars off of a one-hour massage. To give potential volunteers even more incentive to help their community, Cohen has made these benefits cumulative, up to $30 off per hour.
For additional information about Helping Our Helpers, contact Sarah Cohen or visit www.scohenLMT.com.
Filed under: NH resident profiles, Volunteer assistance programs Tagged: | helping neighbors, making a difference, neighbors helping neighbors, Sarah Cohen
