After over a year of navigating the COVID-19 pandemic, volunteering at Chrysalis looks vastly different than it has in years past. In March of 2020, our staff confronted the uncertainty brought on by the dual economic and health crisis and revamped our program to a virtual model. When the call for virtual volunteers was made, we were overwhelmed by the level of support we received from our community, including Janice.
Like many travel and leisure businesses worldwide, the company where Janice works was hit incredibly hard by the necessary regulations put in place to curb the spread of the virus. Layoffs resulted in changes to her schedule, disrupting her usual days volunteering in-person at our San Fernando Valley center. For Janice, not volunteering with Chrysalis just wasn’t an option. Not missing a beat, she signed up to be a virtual volunteer so she could continue her passion for supporting clients faced with barriers to the workforce. After some adjustments to her new work schedule, she was all set to begin changing lives again in a remote capacity.
Janice quickly realized that the pandemic had hit our clients in a different way than it had impacted her. When conducting practice interviews over the phone, she would ask clients things like, “What are your five-year goals?” and was left heartbroken when some would respond, “I don’t have any goals.” Janice made it her mission to make every client feel valued and know that they absolutely have something to offer to an employer.
Volunteering virtually has not been without its challenges. Janice recalls occasions where clients struggled to find a quiet place to talk with her. She also found that, at times, she had to dig deeper to build rapport with clients and learn more about their true passions. She shares that when she feels like she’s hitting a wall, she slows down her approach. “Let’s think together. If you never needed to earn any money, what would you like to do?” she asks.
Whether she is facilitating a job-readiness class, conducting a practice interview, or helping out at one of our client holiday parties, Janice always looks forward to lending her time to our clients. “I really like this organization. It has been a very positive experience and a very positive place. We are bringing [the clients] up – a hand up instead of a handout.”
As a virtual volunteer, Janice conducts practice interviews over the phone with clients. Still, she misses being able to teach in-person at our centers and recalls one of her favorite moments from that time. At the end of every class, Janice would ask clients, “Why do we call this place Chrysalis? Do you know what a chrysalis is?” She shares, “When a caterpillar spins a cocoon, before becoming a butterfly this is called a chrysalis. It’s the state of transformation. It is where we all are.”
We are currently recruiting volunteers to support clients virtually – please click here to learn more.