Gretchen Dennis, inclusion and staff coordinator with the West Suburban Special Recreation Association, said the organization’s volunteers are its lifeblood and best connection to the community.

The nonprofit, which provides recreation programs for people with disabilities in the western suburbs of Chicago, is currently seeking new people to volunteer their time to help the WSSRA. Dennis said fall is often the best time for recruitment because students are getting back in the routine of the school year, and the return of classes might free up time in parents’ schedules.

Q Why are volunteers so important to WSSRA?
A Our needs are so great, and we serve so many people that we need the assistance of recreation leaders or volunteers. They’re the front line serving the individuals coming to us for service. They’re the face and the primary connection between the residents in the community that we serve and our agency.

Q What do volunteers get out of the experience?
A I think it’s educational for volunteers. We have a lot of volunteers who are younger, and their parents encourage them to do this. They get to witness firsthand individual differences and successes. We celebrate that everyone’s processes and outcomes are going to be different and focus on a person’s abilities, not disabilities. Volunteers get to see that and celebrate those individual successes, which is huge.

Q What are some of the areas in which volunteers could work?
A We provide weekly recreation programs for individuals with disabilities, so we’re always looking for individuals to volunteer on a weekly basis with those programs. We also offer one time special events, which may be a larger chunk of time, anywhere from four to eight hours.

Q What qualifications should volunteers have?
A If it’s someone who is going to volunteer with one of the weekly programs, they do go through an interview process. Typically we accept high school students (and people older than that) for the weekly volunteering.

Want to get involved?
For more information or to volunteer your time at the West Suburban Special Recreation Association, call (847) 455-2100, or visit the organization’s Web site at www.wssra.net.