Linda Shaw: Leading with Heart in ST. James NEST’s Volunteer Village

Join Nolan Formalarie as he welcomes Linda Shaw, a dedicated village leader from the NEST organization, to share her inspiring journey and the impactful work of NEST in St. James. Linda, with her rich background as a registered nurse and a lifelong volunteer, delves into the essence of NEST – a volunteer organization committed to helping residents live comfortably in their community through simple yet vital services like transportation to doctor’s appointments and household tasks. As a village leader, Linda oversees the recruitment, orientation, and organization of volunteers, ensuring they are well-prepared to meet the needs of members. This heartwarming discussion also highlights the difference between volunteers and members within NEST, showcasing the dual roles many take on to support their neighbors. Linda’s story is a testament to the power of volunteering and the deep connections formed through helping others. Discover how you can become part of this incredible community effort in St. James by watching our conversation.

Nolan
Hello and welcome. This is Nolan Formalarie with NEST and I have Linda Shaw with me here today. Linda, thank you so much for coming on.

Linda
Thank you for having me. I appreciate it.

Nolan
Of course, So Linda, if you can explain to us what is the NEST organization?

Linda
The NEST organization is a volunteer organization, people helping people within St. James. And what they do is we help them with tasks to help them live longer in St. James, simple tasks like driving them to doctor’s appointments, doing little household tasks and stuff like that so that they can just live there longer. Cause a lot of people who’ve moved down here don’t have family around, which is super nice.

Nolan
Now I know when you are a village leader with NEST. Explain if you can, what your role is and what is a village leader.

Linda
Well, I started as a volunteer. Eventually I moved up the role. So my role as a village leader : I am in charge of all of the volunteers. So I bring on the volunteers, I help with the orientation, I organize it, and I make sure the volunteers who are the people who help, the people who need the services, are trained enough to do the services and are also able to meet the services that the members need. So, they go out there and if there is a member who needs a service, such as a ride somewhere, I make sure that there’s a matching that takes place.

Nolan
Okay. That makes sense. And I know I always get confused on this and we touched upon it.  What is the difference between a volunteer and a member?

Linda
Well, it’s interesting because volunteers can be members as well. Skip and I, my husband and I, are both members and volunteers. A volunteer  provides the services, and a member is usually a person who receives the services.

Nolan
Okay. And what do you enjoy the most about being a village leader?

Linda
Well, I enjoy helping people. I’m a registered nurse, I came down here from Connecticut and I was looking for a place to help people. I’ve always been a volunteer. My parents have been big into volunteering. When we found NEST, the first thing I looked at was making phone calls and I was like, well, I could talk somebody ear off. I could do that and eventually my role changed along the way, but it’s just so rewarding to help people in any little ways. And when you go to a member’s house and help them with something, such as one of our tech connect volunteers went over to someone’s house and she just burst into tears. She had recently lost her husband and she was saying how lonely she was. And the communication between the volunteers and the members is amazing. And what they do is they come back and they tell us: “this poor woman was very lonely.” So now we’ve arranged someone to make phone calls to her, which she appreciates and find out what she needs. And it just gives her a level of comfort.

Nolan
I agree. It is very rewarding. I’ve worked with a few folks too, and they’re just so happy just that you’re there, an interacting company, things like that.

W, appreciate you coming on. If you want to become a village leader, a member, we will include the email address and a phone number you can reach out to. So please do so. It’s an absolutely amazing organization within St. James.

Website: sjnest.org

Phone: (910) 250-8388

Email: info@sjnest.org