FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 11, 1997
Contact: Diane Thomas
(714) 834-6203
Volunteer Coordinator
To Stretch County Resources
(SANTA ANA) - To increase
service to the public through the support of volunteers,
the County of Orange has hired its first volunteer coordinator,
Jane Dawson, an experienced volunteer program manager
and a volunteer herself, announced Jan Mittermeier, County
of Orange chief executive officer.
Dawson moves to the staff of the chief executive office
from a three-year stint in the County’s Health Care
Agency where she coordinated volunteerism for Project
Together. She previously managed a volunteer program for
the Cerritos Senior Center and also worked for the Volunteer
Center of Greater Orange County.
In 1995 Dawson received an outstanding achievement award
from the Orange County chapter of DOVIA, Directors of
Volunteers in Agencies, for successful coordination of
a volunteer program.
She has a bachelor’s degree in sociology and human
services from California State University at Fullerton
and holds a certificate in volunteer program management
and administration from the University of California at
Irvine.
In addition to her professional affiliations, Dawson has
been a volunteer child advocate for the Exchange Club
Child Abuse Prevention Center in Orange and currently
helps raise funds for the City of Hope.
"I believe that we have only just begun to tap the
potential benefits of volunteerism in County government,
and that’s why I asked the County CEO to craft the
volunteer coordinator’s position from an existing
unfilled vacancy," said Second District Supervisor
James W. Silva. "Our commitment to volunteer support
can help existing staff better utilize their time and,
thereby, stretch our resources. We expect the new volunteer
coordinator to assist current volunteer programs within
the County and to reach out into the community to tap
new sources for volunteers."
Persons interested in volunteering with the County may
call Dawson at 834-7440.
"We’re very grateful for the volunteers who
are already making significant contributions in our libraries,
at Juvenile Hall, in the Probation Department, in the
Sheriff’s Drug Use is Life Abuse effort, in search
and rescue, and in many other areas of County government,"
said Mittermeier. "There is a wealth of talent within
the county that can help us continue to supply quality
service without adding to the budget."
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