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fitting
it all together
one day mixing volunteering
and work
April 13, 2000: Somehow Lori Wiederin, an account
executive with Holmes,
Murphy & Associates in West Des Moines, is going to
teach a class of active first- and second-graders about government
and taxes. Wiederin has volunteered for five years for
Junior Achievement (JA) of Central Iowa, a non-profit
economic education organization that supplies volunteers with
lessons to teach.
"I'll never forget that first class. I was nervous. At the
end I asked if anyone had any questions. A little girl raised
her hand and said, "I love you," and all other kids raised
hands. I was fine after that."
Today, she fears the lesson is too advanced for first- and
second-graders. She hopes, though, the kids at least will
see they need to stay in school and need to learn math. Beyond
that, she hopes they will understand workers pay taxes that
support government services.
Dressed in navy slacks, short-sleeved white sweater, and
a scarf, Wiederin looks unfazed by the assignment as she walks
into Longfellow School on the east side of Des Moines. The
seven girls and eight boys are delighted to see her and scramble
to their places on the floor.
Hands wave for attention as Wiederin asks: "What's a fire
hydrant for?"
Student 1: "For water to come out to swim in."
Wiederin: "Yes. What else?"
Student 2: "For water to come out."
Classroom teacher Sue Edwards: "Yes. For firemen to hook
up to if there's a fire."
And so it goes for a fast half hour. Kids hang on Wiederin
as she says good-bye.
"I hope they get the basic lesson," says Wiederin, walking
quickly to her car. "I give the teacher a schedule of all
five classes so she knows the content. This is the most a
teacher has ever collaborated. She really helped a lot today."
Then Wiederin switches gears for client meetings at noon,
2:30, and 4 p.m. Her day had begun with an 8 to 9:30 a.m.
meeting for the United Way Corporate Volunteer Council, which
she chairs. The council helps companies know what needs exist
in the community. Following a staff meeting from 10 to 10:45
a.m., she was at Longfellow from 11 to 11:45 a.m. This day,
Wiederin devotes more than two hours of her workday to community
service activities.
Some days, volunteering takes more time than others, Wiederin
says. She has helped organize corporate participation for
sundry activities, including providing casseroles (7,500 were
donated) to the Salvation Army breakfast drive; gathering
donations for baby gifts for unwed mothers; and lining up
corporate hosts for special needs youngsters and their families
for an Iowa Cubs baseball clinic, game, and, naturally, hot
dogs. It all involves meetings and lots of follow-up calls,
to which Wiederin cheerfully says: "No problem."
Also, Wiederin has had a "little sister" from the Big Brother-Big
Sister program. Somehow it all fits together. "You can only
teach the JA class during the workday," she says. "I couldn't
work for a company that doesn't value community service."
-Julia Johnston wrote about family succession
in the June/July issue of the magazine..
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