News From AmeriCares Free Clinics

Susan Garofoli: Giving Twice

Staff Photo

Susan Garofoli helps a patient fill out an application at the Norwalk clinic.

Meeting neighbors struggling to get by on as little as $200 a week in affluent Fairfield County is a constant reminder of the important services the clinic provides, she said.

“A lot of times we take our health insurance for granted and just go see the doctor,” said Garofoli, 48, of Darien. “The people AmeriCares is helping have so little, and it’s just very rewarding.”

She’s one of five screeners at the Norwalk clinic who assist patients in filling out the applications that determine whether they qualify for services. She also trains new screeners and schedules doctors, nurses, interpreters and others who volunteer their time to fill gaps in the schedule.

Garofoli is one of several volunteers who, because they are so personally invested in the clinics, also support them financially. She and her husband, Joe, are among the clinics' largest donors. Susan Garofoli has also served on the committee overseeing the free clinics’ annual Imagine fund-raising event.

For years, Free Clinics Executive Director Karen Gottlieb said she avoided asking volunteers like Garofoli to donate or attend fund-raisers because they had already been so generous with their time.

“They’re already giving us something money can’t buy – the gift of their time, skills and incredible passion for the program,” she said.

But as more and more research showed volunteers want to give to causes they devote their time to, the clinics’ staff tested the waters a few years ago by including volunteers in their annual appeal. Many were more than happy to donate and have become an important donor base that was, for a long time, overlooked.

“They understand we need both time and money to accomplish our mission,” said Deb Howard, director of volunteer services for AmeriCares clinics in Norwalk, Bridgeport and Danbury. “They know we can’t provide the good work that we do without the resources.”