As a student, my life would be empty without e-mail. I need it to ask questions of my professors, to keep in contact with group members, and on some days even ask my mother her favorite question “What’s for dinner tonight?”Because it’s a staple in my life, I rarely think about people who don’t use it, how new the technology can be to a first time user, or what power it could have when used for doing good deeds.
However, my opinion of e-mail, and those who used it, changed this morning when I met a group of—what I thought would be—unlikely e-mail users who are using their addresses to help the United Way of Greater Rochester.
Let me back up and tell you why I was able to experience this unique point of view. For the last four months, I have been interning at the United Way in order to gain some field experience to complete my Communications degree at the State University of New York at Geneseo.
I am happy to say that unlike some of my fellow students, who have to sit in cubicles all day, my intern experience has not only kept my interest, but it has given me the chance to meet some extraordinary people in the wake.
Not only are my co-workers a ball (seriously, have you met Liz on the Loose?), but they have taken me all over the county (and to parts of Livingston County too) to see firsthand the great things that United Way is doing my own community.
I have seen labor unions working together for United Way, how fundraising money is used to help those in need, and have even decided to do my part by donating with paycheck deductions at my summer place of employment. Prior to this experience, I knew very little about what United Way actually does day to day, but have come to see that it truly is a shining star in Rochester.
When I arrived at United Way this particular Wednesday morning (a little before nine, which is an all-time record for this usually late arriver), I was informed by my good friend Wendy (one of the many talented staff members here at UW) that today we’d be venturing out into the totally unpredictable Rochester weather to visit a group of volunteers at Lifespan.
These volunteers are using their individual e-mail accounts to spread the message about United Way’s annual fundraising campaign. The process is fairly simple – volunteers log on to their accounts and send e-mails to their families and friends asking them to donate to United Way’s annual campaign.
If those who receive the e-mail are unable to donate to the campaign, they are asked to forward the e-mail on, so that more people will learn about United Way and the things they are trying to accomplish in the community. Once the e-mail has been sent, the volunteers’ task is complete.
They have to do little follow-up work and if their friends and family decide to donate to United Way, they will have helped people in their community by using the power of technology.
When we arrived to Lifespan, I was surprised by how many volunteers had donated their time to helping the United Way, and even more surprised to learn that all of the volunteers were senior citizens!
When I typically think of e-mail users, I don't usually stop to think about the volunteers I met that day. While these folks may be eligible for Social Security, they are very in tune with the technology of today, and were a total blast to hang out with! Above you can see just two of the ladies I had the pleasure of meeting. Laura (foreground) and Mary Jane are seen here typing away to friends and family asking for their support.
Although I was only at Lifespan for an hour, I was able to help the volunteers personalize their e-mails, learn each person's name, and I was able to teach them some savvy computer shortcuts. Even with such a short stay, it was great to see United Way volunteers in action, something that is rare when you spend most of your week in the office. But then again, it’s just another day in the life of a cool communications intern…
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