Volunteer Impact in 2020

2020 - the year we will always remember. Some will remember it for the difficulties and challenges that it brought. Others will remember it for the opportunities that arose from those challenges. And some will remember it as being the year we overcame, facing the challenges, rising above the storms to create a stronger, more resilient community together.

Last March, after a devastating tornado damaged hundreds of homes and businesses in the Nashville and Mount Juliet areas, an overwhelming number of volunteers came together to help their neighbors with the aftermath, clean-up of debris, and to provide necessities, meals, and encouragement amidst the chaos. Then the COVID-19 Pandemic struck, for which no one was prepared. What started out as a two week lock down for schools and businesses turned into months.

During quarantine, seniors who were already somewhat isolated, became increasingly at risk for mental health issues caused by the social isolation and loss of connection from their friends, family members, and even healthcare providers. But despite the challenges, COVID-19 brought many new opportunities to find ways to bring people together safely. Virtual meetings, remote work opportunities, phone counseling, and online workshops became more widely used to help keep people connected to services.

In April, GNRC started a letter writing campaign to combat social isolation and help bring hope to older adults and those with disabilities in nursing homes and assisted living facilities. In 2020, hundreds of volunteers responded to the cause and we sent 16,709 letters and cards! Not only did our older adults benefit, but so did our volunteers. Thirty-seven volunteer 'teams' were formed, meeting together virtually to write letters and offer words of encouragement to seniors as well as each other. Because of the tremendous impact the letter writing campaign had in our communities, we decided to make it an ongoing opportunity. To date, over 27,000 letters have been sent since the launch of the campaign.

In addition, a restaurant stimulus program was formed to help keep small local restaurants in business and to help provide meals to seniors. Volunteers were quick to respond to the ever-changing needs in our communities. With short notice, twenty-three dedicated GNRC volunteers stepped up and helped deliver 4,311 meals to isolated seniors between April and June 2020.

GNRC SHIP volunteers have done an impressive job adjusting to the new circumstances and embracing new technology to provide continuous services to Medicare beneficiaries and those soon to be eligible during the pandemic. Volunteers contributed over 7,000 hours providing free and unbiased Medicare counseling to over 4,600 beneficiaries and working on the administrative side and data entry for the program. Their service has helped beneficiaries understand their Medicare coverage, and saved them thousands of dollars on prescription drug costs by helping them to enroll into a Medicare assistance program that best meets their needs.

We are so grateful for each and every one of our volunteers and thankful for their overwhelming support and compassion they have for the people in our communities. Without them, we would not have been able to have such an impact our communities. Thank you for your commitment to service and for making Middle Tennessee even better.