VOLUNTEER TESTIMONIALS

Why did you choose to become a Crisis Hotline volunteer?

"I wanted to become a CIH phone counselor because I'm beginning to prepare for college and community service will look good on my applications. My mom suggested CIH because she knows how I love helping other people." (TEENAGE VOLUNTEER)

"I am studying to obtain my Masters Degree to become a counselor and I wanted to gain some experience with different issues and mental disorders that I may encounter after I become a private counselor." (ADULT  INTERN)

" Volunteering allows me to help people in ways I greatly enjoy.  The service is not just anonymous to the caller, but also for the volunteers who choose to remain anonymous in their volunteer work".  
(ADULT VOLUNTEER)

How has being a volunteer personally impacted you?
"Being a CIH counselor has made me appreciate what I have and I know more about the kinds of problems other people face in the world from my time on the calls."

" It made me grateful to be able to put any issues I may be having aside to help someone else".

"It make me more aware of what the person sitting right next to me could be experiencing……..  In real life, we see people's faces, but not the troubles behind the faces. Here we see their troubles, but not their faces. It's an interesting change for me."

What have you learned about yourself and others by being a hotline volunteer?

"I have learned that a lot of people go through the same things I do, so I don't feel like it's just me anymore."

"Everyone has problems sometimes in their life. I tended to keep things to myself, but I learned that I too can feel better if I talk about it."

"I have learned that I really do like it when I help someone so personally. It's deeper than a food drive or other large group volunteer activity. I also learned that people from all walks of life feel the same way I do when they volunteer, even though we live very different lives when we leave the hotline."

How do you feel after you get off of a call where you know you've made a difference?

"It makes me feel like the little things we say and do can make a huge difference to someone who doesn't have  support."

"It is very rewarding to know that I've helped someone. Even though I have just completed training a few weeks ago, I have been able to help someone with little experience and it is very rewarding and I feel supported in the call center, so I do not feel alone or afraid to do the work."

"Awesome!!  I feel like I really helped to change something in someone's life, even if it's not that big of a deal to me."