Volunteer Spotlight: Honoring Doris Vierbuchen
Our Volunteer Spotlight this month honors Doris Vierbuchen.
Doris first began volunteering with the Literacy Council 23 years ago, in 1997, when she attended a tutor training workshop and became a volunteer tutor. She tutored two adults for almost two years. During that time, she was recruited to help tutor employees at Liberty Seafood, an early example of our workplace literacy programs.
In 2003, Doris became one of our most competent and reliable volunteer office workers, working a regular 3-hour shift each week, at a time when the Literacy Council was a totally volunteer organization with the office staffed by two volunteers each weekday, each taking a 3-hour shift. Doris continued in this role every week until we hired a part-time Office Manager/Volunteer Coordinator in 2011. She then assisted in training the new employee and continued to fill in for our staff in the office whenever needed.
In 2009, Doris was elected to the Board of Directors and became the (volunteer) Treasurer of the Literacy Council, a role she filled until 2012. After serving as Treasurer, she was asked to become the Literacy Council’s first Assistant Treasurer, a role in which she continues today.
Doris is one of the “hidden”, yet essential, people who help to keep the council running smoothly. She has dedicated more than two decades applying her professional work experience in accounting. Doris is responsible for all the bookkeeping work including processing all deposits, expenses, and payroll. In addition to diligently coming into the office each week, she tracks the checking account transactions from home throughout the month and follows up on any missing paperwork. Her diligence, attention to detail, meticulous and passionate efforts to oversee and monitor our expenditures, and her overall commitment to managing our nonprofit’s financial resources so that our organization can continue to be fiscally responsible, are all examples of daily actions that make her an outstanding advocate for our organization’s mission. One of Doris’ qualities that serves as a role model for everyone is that she consistently looks for ways the Literacy Council can save money or reduce expenses. And Doris’ weekly bookkeeping work saves the Literacy Council from paying a financial staff person to perform these essential duties. In addition to her Assistant Treasurer duties, she served as a member of the Finance Committee from 2012 – 2017, helping to guide the financial direction of the Literacy Council.
Every week we look forward to the day when Doris comes in to carry out her work. She is always cheerful and a joy to work with. She is also efficient, a fast worker and gets right down to business going through paperwork and making sure she has the necessary documentation to back up all financial transactions. She is an integral part of our team and we are so fortunate to benefit from her skills and that she has chosen the Literacy Council for so many years as the place to make a real difference in our community. Laurie Fisher, Executive Director
Doris is eager to help in whatever way she can, and she has a wealth of knowledge as one of the longest serving office volunteers. Although hesitant at first, Doris has been willing to go out of her comfort zone as our use of technology changes and she learns how to use new online tools. Lisa Myers, Treasurer
Doris has been a wonderful long-term volunteer, very engaged in serving the Literacy Council and its students and volunteers with skill, dedication and cheerfulness. Caroline Gaver, Board Member Emeritus
All who have worked with Doris at the Literacy Council agree that she is always a pleasure to work with and can be counted on to do any needed task well. Doris is humble and unassuming, but passionate in her commitment to serving the Literacy Council and the community. In addition to her extensive commitment to the Literacy Council, she also volunteers with her neighborhood residents’ association.
During Doris’ tenure as office volunteer and Treasurer, the Literacy Council has grown considerably, more than doubling both the number of adults served to over 335 a year, and the number of tutors. This growth is reflected in the budget, and the roles of our treasurers and finance committee have become much more complex and demanding. Doris’ steady reliability, dedication and skill have been a major contribution to this expansion and the ability of the Literacy Council to serve so many adults in the Frederick community on their journey to reading and language proficiency and a better life.