November 9, 2006
Volunteering gives staffer ‘peace and joy’ — for 21 years
Editor’s note: Through the Combined Fund Drive campaign, University Week will spotlight some of the UW staff and faculty who volunteer at agencies supported by the fund.
Name: Cheryl Bissett
UW Job: Secretary senior in the Department of Statistics.
How long a volunteer for this agency: I’ve been a Combined Fund Drive Coordinator for 21 years. I’ve been a member of the Cascade Bicycle Club for about 15 years and a member of NAMI for about 2 years.
Volunteer activity: I am a member of NAMI Greater Seattle, the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill, and Cascade Bicycle Club. I do the NAMI walk every May.
I volunteer for the bike club in education, which involves helmet sales and safety, and I also volunteer for special events as a rides leader.
I’ve ridden the Courage Classic four times for Mary Bridge Children’s Foundation and the Tri-Island Trek five times for the American Lung Association of Washington and three times I rode my bike on the MS150 for The Mulitple Sclerosis Association.
I rode for a cause doing the Seattle to Portland ride for Community Services for the Blind and Partially-sighted.
I’ve also sponsored a child in Tazmanina through World Vision.
I also support the following agences: Sierra Club Foundation, Transportation Choices Coalition, American Humane Association, American Diabetes Association, Bicycle Alliance of Washington, and Learning Disabilities Association of Washington.
Why these activities? I am a bicyclist and volunteer for the Cascade Bicycle Club. I have a close relative with a mental illness and I’ve taken the family-to-family series from NAMI.
I meet with a NAMI support group once a month and receive e-mail updates for avocacy and general information regularly.
A memorable experience while volunteering: I enjoy fitting and selling bicycle helmets for the Cascade Bicycle Club.
The smiles and cheerfulness of children when they get a new helmet makes this volunteering fun. Seeing families out riding their bikes is very refreshing and uplifting.
I am currently planning a penny drive for American Diabetes Association in memory of my co-worker, Kristin Sprague. She passed away on August 19th after two years retirement from the UW. She worked at the UW for over 30 years and was the graduate program coordinator for the Department of Statistics and she struggled with juvenile diabetes all her life.
I’m also planning a bake sale. The donations will go to NAMI.
Satisfaction in volunteering: It is great to do a service in helping other people.
It is a humbling experience that gives me peace and joy.
