Submitted on 29Nov2003 by
Sonya Turner,
Volunteer Coordinator, Senior Services of Northern Kentucky, Kentucky
I don't think anyone has yet mentioned the Frasier episode where
Frasier volunteered for Habitat for Humanity. He obviously enjoyed
the experience, being very attached to the house and proud of his
contribution. (I think they let him hold a drill and do other meaningless
work). Things went a little down hill when Frasier kept coming back
to the house to offer decorating tips to the new owners. I wonder
if Habitat thought this was a good promotion for their program or
not?!!
Submitted on 25Nov2003 by Susan J.
Ellis, Energize, Inc.
"West Wing" once again this week included mention of volunteers. This time
it was a conversation between Toby and a staffer who was cleaning up the office
but started up a conversation about the US budget. She comments about "paying
volunteers in AmeriCorps...what kind of volunteers get paid money?" Toby
responds with praise for AmeriCorps as a government program that actually accomplishes
something. She just laughs and is not convinced.
Submitted on 6Nov2003 by Laura Philips, Volunteer Coordinator,
Eugene Public Library, Oregon, U.S.
I'm a year behind
in watching "Six Feet Under," because
I don't see the season til it comes out on video. But at least in
the past, one of the main characters is shown regularly (not just
in Dec.) volunteering with a free meal service in the parks. We've
seen him at the volunteer site a number of times, and his connections
with others involved in the activity are pivotal to the plot.
Overall, I think it's a positive portrayal of volunteering. It's
used in a realistically complex way, to show both the character's
strength and weakness: the strength being that he is a good, giving,
responsible person, who feels an appropriate commitment to lending
others a hand; the weakness being that he is driven to keep busy
in order to avoid dealing with his personal life and, relatedly,
driven to appear "perfect" in order to compensate for feelings of
inadequacy/shame about being gay. That makes it sound like a negative
portrayal -- but he is actually a very sympathetic character; the
audience roots for his happiness; and it appears clear that he is
a volunteerin' kind of guy, who will continue to volunteer even after
he resolves his various issues and no longer needs the time-filler
or self-esteem booster. (Unless those of you who've seen the more
recent season have already found out otherwise. . .!)
Submitted on 30Oct2003 by Susan J. Ellis, Energize,
Inc. Glad
to see we're keeping this list going! "West Wing" has
a new unpaid intern in a small recurring role right now, and he's
pretty obnoxious -- snobby and snooping into everything. Someone
has assigned him to Josh, who is totally irritated about imposition. No
job description seems in evidence. Last night, immediately
following this example, "Law and Order" ran an episode in which a
suspect used the alibi that he "was at the library doing my volunteer
shift -- you can ask my supervisor there." The police do ask
and learn he never showed up. This so-called volunteer ends
up arrested as the prime suspect. With volunteers like these
two, it's no wonder we get a bad rap!
Submitted on 29Oct2003 by Jerald H Curtis, Special Projects Coordinator,
Michigan
In the Oct
27, 2003 episode of "Everyone Loves Raymond," Ray is
'volunteered' to work in a hospital. He goes and discovers
that it is better than he thought it would be. Good until his
wife gets upset that he is gone so much and cons his brother and
then makes it into another family conflict.
Submitted on 29Aug2003 by Kimberly Thomas, Manager of
Volunteer Services/ Center for Economic Progress IL/USA
I think you are right. On one espiode of "Will
and Grace", Will and Grace volunteered for a children program
working with a group of children to perform a play. It was very funny.
If we had more popular television program to embrace volunteerism
on the waves, maybe it would encourage others to volunteers.
Submitted on 23May03 by Marjorie Moore, Volunteer Coordinator-
Radio Information Service, Illinois USA
ER and Will and Grace have recently shown characters
contributing in the Doctors Without Borders program. In fact,
the entire season finale of ER focused on Dr. Carter's and Dr. Kovac's
experiences in Africa.
Submitted on 22May03 by Scott Lundell, Assistant Director,
Information and Volunteer Centre for Strathcona County, Alberta, Canada
There is another Simpsons episode where volunteering
is demonstrated, albeit with an unscreened, untrained, and, yes, unsupervised
volunteer. In the episode entitled, “In Marge We Trust”,
Marge becomes guilted into becoming a volunteer. She does some chores
around the church. “All done. I swept the aisles and put all
the collection plates in the dishwasher. Oh -- and you wouldn't believe
how many dead pigeons there were in the organ.” Reverend Lovejoy
responds, “Marge, you are a real timesaver. Do you know, thanks
to you, that I discovered a form of shame that's gone unused for 700
years?” It continues. Finding he is getting frustrated with
phone calls from advice seekers, Lovejoy pawns the job off on Marge
and she becomes the “Listen Lady”.
Later in the episode, Marge tries to explain her new opportunity to
Homer. He questions her decision. "Do you know," he argues,
"that so-called volunteers don't even get paid?" Toward
the end of the episode, Marge gives bad advice to Ned Flanders who,
as a result, ends up trapped in a Baboon exhibit at the zoo. (Where
else?)
However, with all the faux-pas we see with volunteer management eyes,
Marge does come out with a real gem of a quote. When she discovers
she has given some really bad advice, she says in exasperation, “Oh,
I'm in way over my head. I mean, where do the helpers turn when they
need help?”
Submitted on 22May03 by Andy Fryar, President - Volunteering
Australia
I was watching the West Wing tonight (we are a few months behind in
episodes here) and it was the episode where Sam and Will Bailey are
announcing to the press Sam's team to run for election in California.
Will Bailey runs through the usual suspects telling the press the
names of the various people who will hold a variety of posts around
Sam in his efforts to be elected - The Campaign Manager, Finance Officer,
Press Secretary, Marketing Manager etc. What was pleasing that included
in the list was the role of Volunteer Coordinator!
Submitted on 21May03 by Barbara Goldstein, Director of
Volunteers, Montefiore, Beachwood, OH USA
During local televised fundraising efforts for public television (such
as a 4-day broadcast auction in Cleveland, OH), the on-air personalities
lavish well-deserved praise on all the volunteers who help them throughout
the year. In addition, many larger corporations recruit members of
their staffs to serve as telephone bid-takers. In that way, the company
gets great PR for its involvement, the "I'm-too-busy-to-volunteer"
professionals see the merit of their one-time contribution, and the
audiences benefit from the fine programming underwritten by the monies
raised. While this kind of exposure isn't national, nor does it attract
the number of people who gravitate to primetime network or cable offerings,
it offers proof positive that volunteers have a dramatic effect on
their communities.
Submitted on 18May03 by Gerald (Jerry) Pannozzo, CVA,
NY
Do we remember the Murphy Brown episode about volunteering on Thanksgiving
including the live turkeys? I’m hooked on “The Guardian”
on CBS, which includes a court order community service component.
The hot young lawyer forced to do his community service hours is not
the only reason I watch. The scripts explore legal issues in the world
of for-profit and the often under-represented world of those who assist
individuals who can not afford legal council. Such an agency is were
the voluntold is assigned. During one episode the good-looking and
affluent lawyer is called on inflating his volunteer hours.
I don’t have cable; however, thanks to a friend I’m
able to watch “Queer As Folk”. The local LGBT Center has
Board members (yes volunteers) who are ethically challenged by the
bad boy Brian (when forced to recognize him with an award following
a gay bashing incident or when dealing with his unconventional methods
for raising funds for them). The gals, Melanie and Lindsey fair much
better in the role of volunteers for the Center. However, the winners
are the two moms (Michael’s and Justin’s). One is an assertive
veteran PFLAGer (Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays) who wears
her volunteer pins proudly and the other a new and questioning volunteer
for the cause. They also get involved with "promoting the vote"
as volunteers. They make their gay kids proud as well as embarassed
at times -- and that's what parents do in real life.
Submitted on 16May03 by Susan Ellis, Energize, Inc.
Andy Fryar's posting about the opening segment of this season's "West
Wing" made me realize that I neglected to mention the really
excellent portrayal of volunteer work on that series last year. In
the last several episodes of season 3, the show introduced recurring
guest star Mark Harmon as Secret Service agent Simon Donovan, assigned
as a bodyguard to Press Secretary C.J. Cregg. He was important in
a story arc that included death threats to C.J. and a budding flirtation
between them. In the last episode of the season he was senselessly
killed. What was great about Simon was that being a volunteer was
integrated into his character -- particularly to demonstrate his caring
side.
Simon was a Big Brother to character Anthony Marcus. We discover
this when Anthony turns up at the White House and, because he is an
African-American teen, he is treated suspiciously by White House security.
Simon vouches for him and allows him to stay until his shift ends.
It's made quite clear that the two of them have a warm relationship
that has lasted for a while (I believe Simon speaks of having volunteered
for a few years). When Simon is killed, C.J. ends up trying to get
Anthony a new volunteer from the staff. This sets up an interesting
series of conversations about who has time and whether or not Charlie
Young, the President's Assistant, ought to feel responsible because
he is also young and black. As it turns out, Charlie does rise to
the occasion.
It's hard to summarize the action briefly because this outstanding
example of good media presentation of volunteering covered several
episodes and was truly interwoven into the plot. We haven't heard
anything about Anthony since Charlie became his volunteer, but perhaps
he'll resurface next year.
Submitted on 15May03 by Donna Phillips, Volunteer Programs
Coordinator, Washington County Sheriff's Office, Oregon, USA
Speaking strictly of product placement, I have noticed
for years that the Red Cross symbol shows up often in scenes of public
places in movies and television. Producers are willing to do this
because they know it is an international symbol that almost everyone
will recognize. It is easy to place, easy to see, and does not detract
from the story line. Perhaps if we had a single symbol, recognized
world-wide, that simply meant "Volunteer", then we could
capture such an enduring form of "product placement" in
the film industry.
Submitted on 14May03 by Cara Blank, Director of Online
Publications, Energize, Inc.
I recently saw an episode of “The Simpsons” in which Homer
Simpson is convicted of a misdemeanor for endangering the environment.
The judge doles out punishment to Homer: a $200 fine and community
service. In the very next scene, we see Homer as a Meals-on-Wheels
delivery man (wearing a baseball cap printed with the name Meals-on-Wheels)
serving a TV dinner to an elderly man in a hospital bed. The elderly
man points at an empty section of the TV dinner tray and asks in a
nagging tone: “Isn’t there supposed to be a fruit cobbler?”
Homer gruffly replies: “We discontinued the cobbler.”
The elderly man accusingly sneers: “You smell like cobbler!”
Homer retorts: “Let’s not start those who-smells-like-what
games.”
We had quite a conversation about this show in the Energize office.
President Susan Ellis pointed out that the TV script writers obviously
did not do their homework about how Meals-on-Wheels operates and therefore
misrepresented a valuable organization. Our Webmaster Kristin felt
that the show commented more on community service and the elderly
than reflecting on volunteerism. And I wondered about the age-old
question about life and art: Do TV shows create ideas about volunteerism,
or do they reflect ideas already circulating in our society? What
do you think?
Submitted on 13May03 by Valerie Sen, Program Director,
Volunteer Center of Battle Creek, Michigan, USA
I recently watched a movie called "Better Luck
Tomorrow" that shows high school youth volunteering because "it
will look good on my college application!" These straight A students
are also engaged in drugs, a cheating ring at their school and other
crimes. One of the scenes shows the main character arriving to do
volunteer beach clean up, with tissues up his nose to stop the bleeding
from doing too much cocaine. When they are done cleaning the beach,
they sit down and give the kid a gun as a birthday gift. The dichotomy
of drug addicted, criminal youth getting up early on a Saturday to
do volunteer work for their "college application" speaks
to me of a media example of mocking the motivation of youth volunteers.
They are not giving of themselves for the good of the community, but
for the good of themselves and their future. Great but disturbing
movie!
Submitted on 6May03 by Andy Fryar, President - Volunteering
Australia
The West Wing also featured a volunteer recently, in
the opening episode of series 4 (The episode was called '20 hours
in America'). For those who remember it, President Bartlett makes
a speech on a soy bean farm in Indiana and Toby, Josh and Donna get
stranded on the farm when the motorcade leaves without them. After
getting a ride to the local town, it is a young local political volunteer
who then takes the Whitehouse staffers on the next leg of their journey
to a train station some distance away. From memory the volunteer was
even allowed to say one or two profound things in the episode!
Submitted on 5May03 by Christy O'Callaghan, Volunteer
Resource Manager at Partners In Ending Hunger, Maine
One movie that stands out to me big time around volunteering
is Hardball with Keanu Reeves. It shows the impact mentoring and working
with kids can have on an adult, just as much as on the kids. But it’s
also children’s movies and not as highly watched by adults,
who is really the one transformed by the experience.
Habitat for Humanity has been getting some of those “product
shots” in shows like Gilmore Girls and Seventh Heaven. Both
have high school aged girls going out to build houses (one's using
it to get into college and one's trying to figure out her future and
meets a boy instead). Falls flat, but it did put Habitat in a cool
spotlight.
Other than that, volunteering tends to show up on holiday episodes.
Feeding one meal in a soup kitchen or giving out gifts at one event.
It doesn’t seem to display it as a long-term commitment or that
people are in need beyond the holidays. A more powerful message would
be showing more people who do things all the time, year round. Not
just serving food or handing out presents, but the myriad of rolls
a volunteer can play.
Submitted on 5May03 by Cookie Allen, Volunteer Coordinator-
Escondido Public Library, California, USA
I, too, saw the episode of 7th Heaven and was offended. I didn't like
the stereotypical "old cranky lady" scenario and the opinion
that you have to be nasty to get people to give! I would love to see
the reality of volunteering portrayed in the media, where actors volunteer
as a matter of course. I'd like to see characters volunteering at
libraries, schools, shelters and clinics and making it look fun and
rewarding, and most importantly as something people do because they
want to not because they expect something in return.
Submitted on 5May03 by Marge Galla, Volunteer Coordinator,
Southwest General Health Center Ohio/USA
It is a shame it has to be found in "re-runs" but in The
Golden Girls, mama Sophia is often involved in her hospital volunteering.
Maybe that is part of the reason it is harder to get younger volunteers..the
stereotype is retirees in peach pinafores?
Submitted on 5May03 by Andy Fryar, President, Volunteering
Australia
Australia's most popular soap opera 'Home and Away'
(...OK so now everyone knows I watch it!) features a drop-in centre,
at which just about everyone on the show has volunteered at one time
or another. What's even better is that during IYV, the Australian
IYV posters were often used as props and were clearly visible on a
regular basis.
Also, while not specifically media related, I have noticed that
the major football arena here in Adelaide, 'AAMI Stadium' still features
giant IYV / volunteering advertisements two years after IYV has finished!
Submitted on 5May03 by Sarah Brown, Director of Membership
Girl Scouts of Swift Water Council, New Hampshire/Vermont
I like to add an episode of Everybody Loves Raymond where volunteerism
was shown in a positive light. Only one example of that I can think
of. Perhaps we should congratulate a producer when they get it right.
Submitted on 5May03 by Margo Ashmore, Minnesota, USA
In a recent episode of "American Dreams" the wife was recruited
by her professor to sit at a table on a street corner registering
black people to vote. I got the impression the woman was being portrayed
as really having to get up the courage to do it, definitely thinking
it's the right thing to do, perhaps doing it to impress the teacher.
In an episode of Cheers, Rebecca Howe thought volunteering would improve
her chances of getting an award. We only hear her side of the phone
conversation; she rolls her eyes and it goes something like this,
"don't give me anything depressing, and NO WEEKENDS!"
I agree that volunteering could benefit from product placement.
Many stars who have adopted causes and diseases get on the talk shows
to promote them. Maybe these same stars could be enlisted to urge
writers and producers to use volunteering as story lines more often.
I don't watch TV or see movies anywhere near as much as the national
average. During prime time, I'm often busy doing my volunteer work
in civic engagement and economic development. Along those lines, it
will be interesting to see if in this registry anyone mentions "fight
city hall" stories.
Submitted on 2May03 by Susan J. Ellis, President, Energize,
Inc.
Last night on "CSI," the crime scene investigators
were tracking down information on a teen suicide. At the local high
school, they spoke to a group of girls who were clearly supposed to
be in vogue (sexy clothes, etc.), who told them to go talk to another
girl. One said: "She's a 'volunteen' at the hospital." She
rolled her eyes and put a snide emphasis on the word 'volunteen.'
In the next scene, the investigators are walking down a hospital hall
and wind up at the window of the pharmacy. There, seemingly all alone,
was a Candy Striper - pinafore and all. She answered their questions,
including whether or not she gave the dead girl any drugs. Her response:
"No! And even if I wanted to, I couldn't." And she pointed
up to a surveillance camera! (You figure out all the things that are
wrong with this picture.)
Submitted on 1May03 by Suellen Carlson, Director of Volunteers,
Lutheran Social Services, New York State, USA
The teenagers attending "Chilton" on "The
Gilmore Girls", who hope to attend Ivy League Colleges, regularly
speak of their volunteer activities which can make the difference
between who gets into a prestigious college and who doesn't. Many
of the teens who volunteer for me see their volunteer activities as
making a difference in both their attempt to get jobs and their attempts
to get into the college of their choice.
