Volunteer Profile

For mother and daughter Pam Levine and Annalise Nelson, volunteering for the AmeriCares Free Clinics has turned into a family affair, making it a multigenerational labor of love.

New Canaan, Connecticut resident Pam Levine has been supporting the clinics for more than six years now.   "I started out volunteering in the headquarters, when they needed people to sort medications," she remembers.  "Then I started working with Deb Howard (community affairs manager for the clinics) and I enjoyed working with her immensely, so I started doing some of her fundraising activities."

Pam's talents have been particularly put to use for several of the annual AmeriCares Free Clinics' fundraisers, including the "Imagine" cocktail event, which takes place every spring, the summer fundraiser with Sound Sailing, and the winter "Holiday Treasures & Pleasures," a seasonal crafts sale. Pam also serves on the advisory council of the AmeriCares Free Clinic of Norwalk, chairing the events committee.

"Pam is one of those volunteers who make my job so enjoyable," says Deb Howard of AmeriCares.  "Her loyalty, follow-through, and consistent genteel manner are an inspiration. We could not be as successful without her."
"One of the things I'm proudest of," says Pam, "is that my children have agreed to follow along in my activities." 

As daughter Annalise tells it, "My involvement came around on two levels.  One, I wanted to do something to help my mom, because she does so much for me and my family; she is our safety net.   I also realized that I could help AmeriCares Free Clinics reach a new volunteer demographic, people in their '30's and '40's, our age group. There are many professionals I work with who would like to be involved, but who are concerned that they can't give enough time with their busy schedules, kids, family, etc. to make a difference."

Annalise, who works full-time for JPMorgan Asset Management New York City, appreciates how flexible the clinic team is in working with volunteers.

"They make it easy to contribute.  I can't make every meeting, but they are so grateful for what I can do, and they allow the volunteers to contribute time when we can to make it happen," she says.  "I'd love to get some more young families involved.  It is very important especially to include the children, because in the area that we live in, with all the emphasis there is on financial success, this is a way to demonstrate to kids that 'right in their own backyards' there are children and hard-working families that don't have access to medical care.  Our volunteering shows we can help make a difference."

When she became involved with the AmeriCares Free Clinics, Annalise also recruited her husband, Tom Nelson, and Tom's two children, 9-year old Tommy and 12-year old Jennifer.

"My grandchildren are like little elves during the holiday sale," says Pam.  "They help with the set-up of the event, and they've also helped with invitations.  They are beginning to understand the need to give back to the community," she adds.

"It isn't always easy to include children," notes Annalise, "because they have to be supervised, but they are two extra pairs of hands and really enjoy helping other people. Deb Howard has helped us find ways to include them, they are great at handling the raffle tickets and stapling auction prize lists together. Now they ask us when is the next time they can come and help out."

Deb Howard notes that the clinic needs all sorts of volunteers.  "While it is true that we are always looking for volunteer physicians and nurses, we have a variety of opportunities to help us outside of the clinic setting," she says.  "We can always make good use of volunteers who would like to help us with events, assist with our graphic design needs, and even to speak to civic or community groups about our programs."

"It's a wonderful way to give back to the community," says Pam of her family's volunteer work for the AmeriCares Free Clinics.  "It is a deserving organization of anybody's time and interest."