Gail Small on Ask the Experts Panel
By Anna Bitong - The Acorn

Small raised the point, “You need to let children know they are not cookie-cutter kids. Every child is unique and special. Kids need to hear, ‘Be yourself.’”

Small said, It ’s important for parents to find something in common with their children and spend time with them."

“Be good to yourself, find something you love,“ Small said. "If you take care of you, they’re going to be taken care of.”

'Joyful' author adds volunteerism to repertoire
By Sheli Ellsworth Special to The Star

When Gail Small retired from the Conejo Valley School District five years ago, after 35 years of teaching, no one expected her to take up knitting. But neither did they expect her to launch an international speaking and writing career.

While some retirees take cruises to relax, Small cruises as an "enrichment speaker" and struggles to put the final touches on her last book before the next port.

"It is not the same experience the vacationers have, but it's still fun," Small said.

She usually speaks on topics related to motivation, communication, creativity, stress-management, self-esteem and joy.

Small definitely has taken the cruise less traveled.

She realized, after a trip to Japan as a Fulbright Memorial Scholar, that sharing her experience was as important as the journey itself. "At my first book-signing, many students of my entire career filled the Barnes & Noble," she said. "What an honor."

As a teacher, she persuaded her students to "get off that bench" and find the opportunities that await them.

Now, with the release of her latest book, Small has reset her focus on giving back.

Small believes deeply in the cause of volunteerism as a way of benefiting everyone involved.

"This book describes how everyday volunteers are helping to make things better for other people," she said. "It is for those who want to volunteer, those who need volunteers, or those who are thinking about volunteering."

Small shares her own experiences as well as those of others.

In her view, the value of volunteering is the balance it brings to those who do it.

"It is about you, your neighbors and your community," she said. "Choosing to volunteer often brings new energy and spice to many lives."

From the Agoura Hills Patch -
Hometown Hero: Gail Small
Don't be deceived by the name, Small is a big giver.

For Gail Endelman Small, volunteering is a way of life. She comes from a long line of volunteers... She is an author, public speaker, former teacher and lifelong volunteer...

Small has adventures that are reminiscent of pirates tales. She has visited every continent ... and even met the President of Russia after ditching her guided tour and roaming the woods. She was in Antarctica during the march of the penguins and led public speeches on self-esteem in Japan. Small has been featured in the renowned "Chicken Soup…" collections.

"I live for serendipitous moments," Small says. "I view life as almost like a treasure hunt."

She has been hired to give speeches on cruises, at corporate lunches, and at various conferences. She is certified on choices and the counseling practices on choices. She has worked with William Glasser of the William Glasser Institute, and has dedicated her life to making herself and the people she meets happy.

"I grew up in the Ozzie and Harriet family, and I guess I thought everybody did," Small says. "I realize now that they didn't. I try to help them with their choices."

Review of Joyful Volunteering by Hilary Lawson in Volunteer Match

The everyday business of recruiting and coordinating volunteers can leave you lost in a maze of training programs, background checks and program management. Somewhere along the way, you lose sight of the simple things: the nervous feelings a first-time volunteer might have, the initial motivation for seeking service opportunities, and the personal reasons we all have that turn us on to volunteering.

Joyful Volunteering ... is a perfect remedy for this. The collection provides fresh insights and renewed understanding of the most important and yet easily overlooked aspects of community service.

Though primarily geared towards the new and possibly nervous volunteer, it is equally enjoyable for the experienced volunteer or the volunteer coordinator looking to get back in touch with why people start volunteering in the first place.

The book offers first hand accounts that range from emotional narratives, quirky anecdotes and inspirational one-liners. Its open forum format is appreciative and encouraging of service of all kinds. There are also practical guides that give step-by-step instructions...

There was a time in everyone’s life when all they knew about volunteering was that they wanted to chip in. Joyful Volunteering is an easy way to revisit that time.

Studies show that giving is good for people, community
from the Ventura County Star

What can the 14.7 million unemployed do to stimulate the local and national economy?
Volunteer.

Volunteering allows an individual to invest “social and intellectual capital” into the economy, according to a 2008 Deloitte Volunteer Impact Survey of 250 Fortune 500 human resource managers.

Volunteers contribute an estimated $239 billion to the U.S. economy annually.

According to Dr. Jamshid Damooei, professor of business administration at California Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks: “Volunteers create jobs and stimulate the economy by generating income for the agencies they volunteer for.

Volunteers allow hospitals and schools to stay open when there is no money for employees.”

Volunteering can also benefit the volunteer, as noted by Damooei, Deloitte and other online sources:

• Volunteering is an opportunity to network. Sixty percent of all jobs are filled by word of mouth; you never know when your can-do spirit is going to put you in a paying position.
• Volunteerism is a chance to build your résumé. Even volunteer work in an unrelated field shows an applicant is industrious.
• Volunteerism allows you to acquire job experience. Colleen Janssen of Rancho Simi Recreation and Park District said she was volunteering for the American Heart Association when she realized that “volunteering gave me the opportunity to do things that I typically would not ‘qualify’ to do on my job.”
• Volunteerism keeps skills alive. It has been said that it is easier to get a job if you already have one. Using skills and staying in the habit of getting up and going to work makes an applicant seem “job ready.”
• Volunteerism is a trait looked for in upper-level management positions.
• More exciting than your last salary is what you really value. People who value people are more desirable than those who value a big income in a bad economy.
• Volunteerism builds confidence.
• There are few blows to self-confidence more damaging than the loss of a job. For many, being unemployed equals being unworthy. It’s not the image a prospective employer wants to see in a job candidate.
• Sometimes it really is better to give than to receive. In her new book, “Joyful Volunteering,” Gail Small states: “Our experience with volunteers is that they get so much more than they give. Age or lack of experience is not a problem; there is a place for everyone.”

The WRITE stuff
Ventura County Writers Club

Gail Endelman Small to kick-start our new year with fun ways to think and write!

Happy New Year wishes to all of our members. A New Year heralds the time honored
tradition of making, and of course, breaking resolutions. In a break with that tradition,
the club’s January speaker will be one who is known for getting her audiences off their duffs. We welcome Gail Endelman Small.

Gail knows the secrets of enticing volunteers to share their time, energy and expertise
with others. She has utilized the skills of talented parents and community members who were dedicated to giving back. Many have stated that they received much more than they gave.

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Links to articles by Gail Small:

Three Volunteering Vignettes

Keeping the Love of Writing Alive!

"Sandwiches to the Rescue" - A Firefighting Vignette

Resolution for 2011

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