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SINGLE VOLUNTEERS MAKE FRIENDS AS THEY SERVE ROCHESTER COMMUNITY
by Dana Johnston

Alan Rivaldo, 38, joined Single Volunteers of Rochester (NY) in 2002, after he saw a newspaper article about the group, which is, according to their website, "an all-volunteer, not-for-profit group of energetic professionals looking to meet others through community service. Their objective is to fulfill the volunteer needs of non-profit organizations in the Rochester area while having fun and meeting people."

"Membership doubled, almost overnight, after that story appeared," Mr. Rivaldo says of the group. At the time, he was unemployed, and not involved in a relationship, so "part of the attraction was to do volunteer work, plus the opportunity to meet members of the opposite sex,² he recalled. "Either way, you¹re going to meet new people, guaranteed."

An engineer who recently completed an MBA, Alan has participated in ³dozens of events² in the past year and a half. He said he had already met ³hundreds² of people, many of whom have become his friends.

Mr. Rivaldo¹s favorite ongoing volunteer activity?

³I really enjoy the Food Link efforts,² he says. ³It¹s always a good size group, about 15 people, and as we pack the bags with the food people need so desperately, the time just flies.²

The ALS (Amiotropic Lateral Sclerosis) Ball and the Eplilepsy Foundation¹s Chocolate Ball are also big favorites.

³We dress up, in suits and gowns, and help staff these events, so the charities don¹t have to spend much of the money they raise paying temporary workers. We help conduct the silent or live auctions, either monitoring bids at the tables for the silent auctions, packing up prizes, and keeping straight who won what, or walking around with light sticks and finding bidders at the live auctions,² he explains.

Aside from the knowledge that their participation benefits the charities and the people they serve, the ³fancy balls² as Mr. Rivaldo characterizes them, are also fun because ³we are dressed up,and we get to see and meet lots of the high profile people in our community. We usually get something in the way of a box lunch to eat, and after our work is done, the bands are still playing, and we get out there and dance.²

Alan currently has no special lady in his life, although he ³dated someone for a couple of months² that he met through single volunteers. He attends such social Single Volunteer events as wine tastings, hockey games, meet and greets, which he says are great networking opportunities, as well as fun ways to get to know women. The Rochester group currently has more than 300 members, with women substantially outnumbering the men.

You can find out more about Single Volunteers of Rochester by clicking here.