Volunteers Make a Big Impact on the MDA Community

Almost 2,000 people have volunteered for MDA in the past year. These dedicated individuals devoted their skills and more than 156,000 hours to make a direct, positive impact on people living with neuromuscular diseases.

We spoke with Wendi Dressen, MDA’s Senior Director of Volunteer Programs, to learn more about MDA’s volunteer program and its impact.

How did MDA’s volunteer program start, and what do volunteers do for MDA?

Supporters are a vital part of every Muscle Walk.

MDA was started at a grassroots level. Since its inception, volunteers have been involved in raising awareness and funds, including developing partnerships with the National Association of Letter Carriers and the International Association of Fire Fighters. Volunteers would assist with events, office work, retail support, advocacy, the Telethon, MDA Summer Camp — pretty much anything MDA needed.

Volunteers are still involved in many of the same ways, and they are still expanding MDA’s impact and reach. Today, our volunteers help plan and execute our MDA golf events, galas, Muscle Walks, Summer Camp, Family Getaways, and more. They support our retail partners and cheer on athletes raising funds through Team Momentum. And our volunteers continue to advocate in their communities for those who are living with neuromuscular diseases.

Where can we see MDA volunteers at work?

If you participate in any kind of MDA event, you’re very likely to run into a volunteer. Last year, volunteers helped at about 100 unique events. They might be behind the scenes as committee members who help organize and prepare for events or on the front line the day of the event. You might see them at registration, connecting with participants, or staffing silent auctions. Volunteers are involved in lots of different ways.

How do volunteers usually get involved with MDA?

Volunteers make MDA Summer Camp a great time for campers.

Many of our volunteers are family members of someone living with a neuromuscular disease, so they’re very passionate about what we do and about raising awareness and funds.

For events like Summer Camp, some volunteers are looking to gain more experience in their field — they might be going to school for physical therapy, nursing, or research. Some folks come to us because they need to complete service learning hours for their school. We also work with volunteers from corporations that encourage their employees to volunteer. Sometimes, volunteers just want to support their community, and an MDA event happens to work with their schedule. There are a ton of different motivational factors for volunteering.

However they start, we hear many volunteers return year after year.

For a lot of them, once they get involved and see the impact their work has on our community, they keep coming back.

For example, one young man came to us early in his college career needing service learning hours. Years later, he’s still very involved in Summer Camp and our mentorship program. He recently started a new job and told his employer the one caveat is he always has to have the week off for MDA Summer Camp. And that’s not an unusual story. We’ve got some folks who’ve been volunteering at Summer Camp for up to 50 years.

Another great story is a family that had a son with a neuromuscular disease who went to Summer Camp, and he enjoyed it so much that the next year, one of his brothers also went as a volunteer. This continued not just for the camper’s siblings but also for their children. Now, multiple generations of the family have been Summer Camp volunteers, and it’s part of their family tradition.

Are volunteering opportunities accessible for people with disabilities?

As an organization dedicated to serving and empowering individuals living with disabilities, we’re committed to removing barriers to ensure that people can engage in whatever activity they’d like to participate in, including volunteering.

We offer virtual opportunities, and most of our events are wheelchair accessible. We can explore what volunteering looks like for each individual and find something that works for their abilities and interests.

Why should someone consider volunteering with MDA?

A volunteer distributes snacks at a Muscle Walk event.

This is an amazing time to be involved with the neuromuscular community and MDA. There are so many advances in therapies and research that it’s really exciting to be a part of what’s going on at MDA.

Right now, even small volunteer efforts can have a big impact on the community we serve. Our volunteers help raise vital funds for research and support families living with neuromuscular diseases.

We encourage anybody interested in volunteering to reach out and see if it’s a good fit.

Amy Bernstein is a writer for Quest Media.