VALERIE HOWELL, KERA/KKXT
Dallas, TX
Bill Young, Vice President of Television Programming, presents Val with her award.
A couple of weeks ago, a group of volunteers were discussing the sofa and chairs in our lobby. One of our most dedicated and reliable volunteers, Valerie Howell, did not realize that there was furniture in our lobby, because she has never had cause to use it. For all the days and numerous hours Val spends at the station, she simply signs in and heads to her assignment.
When Val arrives, the first thing she says, after “Hello” is “What can I do?” That is a dangerous question to ask around a non-profit, because you could be recruited to do a myriad of tasks. And in Val’s case, she is willing and successful at any task asked of her. Val is a Lead Volunteer and takes on multiple roles during one volunteer shift. For example, she answered donor calls during the radio station’s membership drive. After manning the phones for a couple of hours she was then enlisted to wait for the lunch delivery and to escort the afternoon volunteers to the studio. Val then assisted in changing over our conference room from our breakfast set-up to our lunch set-up. She could have gone home at the end of her shift, but Val is always so willing to help out - as she says, “in whatever way is beneficial.”
Val creates a “joy loop” when she makes thank you calls. Val starts each call with that show of appreciation to the donor, but she always takes the conversation to a different level. Val thanks the donor, then the donor is so surprised and excited about being thanked that they share how much they love the station. Val shares her love for the station and then the donor names something else they love about the station and it goes on and on. It is inspiring to watch and other volunteers have even commented on it. It is done with such subtlety and simplicity. If you were listening in you would think she was talking to someone she already knew, but Val just has a talent for making a connection.
During one of these thank you calls, Val was sitting near Trevor, a new volunteer. At one point during the evening, they took a break from making calls and they had a conversation. Trevor said that he was volunteering to make thank you calls because a couple of months back he received a thank you call. Trevor said that the person he spoke with was so friendly during their conversation and she had encouraged him to volunteer with the station. After Trevor shared that story, Val mentioned the other topics they had discussed that night revealing that she had been the volunteer Trevor had spoken with a couple of months earlier!
Val says that KERA always feel expansive, educational, and motivational to her. She really loves the station and that comes across in her interactions. She is an outstanding leader, whether she is training phone volunteers before we go live, fielding their questions during the shift, volunteering as an assistant producer, training a new assistant producer, or running the teleprompter during our live TV nights. Val always gives it her very best. She gives more than 80 hours annually to KERA making her support and dedication an incredible gift to the station.
When Val arrives, the first thing she says, after “Hello” is “What can I do?” That is a dangerous question to ask around a non-profit, because you could be recruited to do a myriad of tasks. And in Val’s case, she is willing and successful at any task asked of her. Val is a Lead Volunteer and takes on multiple roles during one volunteer shift. For example, she answered donor calls during the radio station’s membership drive. After manning the phones for a couple of hours she was then enlisted to wait for the lunch delivery and to escort the afternoon volunteers to the studio. Val then assisted in changing over our conference room from our breakfast set-up to our lunch set-up. She could have gone home at the end of her shift, but Val is always so willing to help out - as she says, “in whatever way is beneficial.”
Val creates a “joy loop” when she makes thank you calls. Val starts each call with that show of appreciation to the donor, but she always takes the conversation to a different level. Val thanks the donor, then the donor is so surprised and excited about being thanked that they share how much they love the station. Val shares her love for the station and then the donor names something else they love about the station and it goes on and on. It is inspiring to watch and other volunteers have even commented on it. It is done with such subtlety and simplicity. If you were listening in you would think she was talking to someone she already knew, but Val just has a talent for making a connection.
During one of these thank you calls, Val was sitting near Trevor, a new volunteer. At one point during the evening, they took a break from making calls and they had a conversation. Trevor said that he was volunteering to make thank you calls because a couple of months back he received a thank you call. Trevor said that the person he spoke with was so friendly during their conversation and she had encouraged him to volunteer with the station. After Trevor shared that story, Val mentioned the other topics they had discussed that night revealing that she had been the volunteer Trevor had spoken with a couple of months earlier!
Val says that KERA always feel expansive, educational, and motivational to her. She really loves the station and that comes across in her interactions. She is an outstanding leader, whether she is training phone volunteers before we go live, fielding their questions during the shift, volunteering as an assistant producer, training a new assistant producer, or running the teleprompter during our live TV nights. Val always gives it her very best. She gives more than 80 hours annually to KERA making her support and dedication an incredible gift to the station.
