“I didn’t know anything about working with long-term residents and was just observing. The residents, the people who run the Activity Room, and volunteers like Mary McCoy were having so much fun interacting that I stopped feeling self-conscious and jumped in, taking their lead, doing what they were doing. It became like a spiritual experience.” That’s how Michael Warren, a former basketball star for the national champion UCLA Bruins and an actor in TV series including Hill Street Blues, felt the first time he visited MPTF to check out volunteer opportunities. The visit led to Mike becoming a volunteer regular with long-term care residents at our Mary Pickford House. Since April is National Volunteer Month, we thought it was the perfect time to salute our volunteers who not only give back generously but get so much in return.
“What I would say is you have no idea what you’re going to get from it, but it will be 100 times more than what you put into it,” Michael says. “Don’t be intimidated because people might be in various mental or physical stages,” he adds. “Their spirit is really incredible. Having been on some of the greatest Coach Wooden teams, I went from that to the entertainment industry and realized it’s just another team. The craft services guy is just as important as the star of the show, and a volunteer is just as important as the people working 9-5.” If you’d like to join a great team here, click here and find out more >
