On November 5th, I volunteered at a Golden Future 50+ Senior Expo event. I have never volunteered with them before, so I had no idea what to expect.
The expo took place at Angels Stadium, and I believe this was the first time it was held there... and I dont think they were very well prepared. When I arrived, I was seated at a table at the entrance to the expo. I was checking in vendors first, then was checking in attendees. It was very chaotic, and due to not being fully prepared, the expo started late. Im not sure how often you are around Seniors who are looking for a ton of free things, but... they are not your most patient group of people :)
When checking in attendees, they had to fill out a registration form, and then I had to give them a goodie bag, a card to get stamped inside the expo with an explanation that they were to get it stamped and bring it back when it was full to be entered for a chance at a door prize. I personally felt like I did a good job with crowd control and handling the not so happy seniors when the expo was delayed by 15 minutes. I ran out of goodie bags quickly and was not told there were four more boxes of them behind me, so that caused some mass hysteria for a short while. Its upsetting when you dont get free literature, a free CD and a free pen. :)
I had THREE gentlemen ask me if I was the door prize. When I said I was not, they gave the cards back to me and said they were not interested. Flattering? Weird? Awkward? Yeah, probably all three. I had a woman laughing so hard at one point, she had to walk away. One gentleman wanted to know what exactly was in the bag, and was explaining what he did and didnt want. I told him he was free to take what he wanted and leave what he did not. It was a very long, drawn out process for him. He wanted the CD and the pen, but not the papers, but he had to discuss each paper with me and why he didnt want them. I, honestly... didnt care either way :)
I kept a positive attitude the entire time, I woke up in a good mood, and Corner Bakery was there selling coffee, but the volunteers got it for free... so I was buzzing along. I think had it been a little more organized, it would have went a little smoother... but all in all it was a neat experience. I also received a pretty cool "Certificate" and a $5 gift card to Target. Sometimes volunteers dont even get a thank you, so this was pretty neat!
If you would like to volunteer with Golden Futures:
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