Consider becoming a CONTACT volunteer

The holidays are over, the decorations put away for another year, and we ponder when winter and snow in particular will arrive. Many of us have made New Year’s resolutions to outline our goals for the year. Some of us will try to lose a few pounds. Others will try to get into better physical shape and join the gym. Still others will strive to spend more quality time with the children or grandchildren. It’s hoped that somewhere on the list of the “2007 to do list” there is a goal to give back to your community through some meaningful community service.

We at Northeast CONTACT are dependent upon the generosity of our casework volunteers to help Maine residents obtain fairness in the marketplace. They are the keys to the success of our well-established organization, now in its 35th year. We couldn’t meet our mission without them. Our “Dynamic Dozen and One-Half” come in one day a week, take phone calls from our members and the general public, each with a unique set of consumer challenges or questions that need Northeast CONTACT volunteer support to resolve.

Over the years we have trained hundreds of highly skilled volunteers. They provide a year or two or more of service and then they move on with their lives, leaving our organization with the need to recruit more trainees to fill the vacuum they leave behind.

It is not a revolving door, but it is certainly an ongoing process. Sometimes a volunteer will use our services after being away for a decade or two. “I used to volunteer for you folks when you were called ‘COMBAT,’ but that was back in 1980 and ’81’. Can you help me with a problem I am having with a roofing contractor?”

CONTACT receives no federal or state grants or funding. Every municipality in Maine is solicited each year and many of the smaller communities, which are familiar with our services, support us, for which we are most appreciative. Business and individual donations and memberships round out our funding sources.

Our volunteers are dedicated in a way that paid staff or money just can’t match. Many of our clients and almost every business we deal with, especially those “from away,” see us as a legal or state entity, with highly trained (and paid) personnel. Au contraire.

What does it take to become a Northeast CONTACT volunteer? First having some time to contribute is very important. We are open Mondays 5-9 p.m., and Tuesdays and Thursdays 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Volunteers must have an interest in being trained in consumer law, regulations, and CONTACT practices and policies and must exhibit a high degree of confidentiality as it relates to our clients.

Volunteers must be willing to commit to an agreed-upon length of time that meets the needs of the agency and the volunteer. Due primarily to the length of time necessary to train a new person, as well as the nature and length of time needed to resolve a case, someone looking to volunteer for a week or a month would most likely not make a good fit. It wouldn’t work for them or the agency.

The rewards are tremendous, and many of our volunteers have been with us for decades. As a matter of fact, we have two active volunteers who have been with us since 1981 – more than a quarter of a century. We have seven active volunteers who each have several thousand hours of donated volunteer time and one super-volunteer with nearly 26,000 hours. This time commitment is the equivalent of 13 years of full-time employment. More important, this represents thousands of Maine consumer cases successfully resolved. There is no other private or public agency within our Pine Tree borders with that kind of record.

So while you are not outside busy shoveling deep snow, or slip-sliding to work on treacherous roads, thanks to our non-winter, give some consideration to donating a portion of your valuable time to become a Northeast CONTACT volunteer. There is no pay, our office space and equipment are adequate but definitely dated. (We have a motto at CONTACT relating to the condition of our office furniture and equipment: “If it ain’t broke, why would we have it?”). However the personal satisfaction and rewards, as they say in the TV credit card ads, are priceless!

Consumer Forum is a collaboration of the Bangor Daily News and Northeast CONTACT, Maine’s membership-funded nonprofit consumer organization. Individual membership costs $25; business rates start at $125 (0-10 employees). For help and information write: Consumer Forum, Bangor Daily News, P.O. Box 1329, Bangor 04402-1329.