The importance of recreation to the total system of habilitative services for mentally retarded persons is discussed in terms of previous and current trends in the field. (Author)

This booklet presents ideas based on actions taken by community leaders to recruit new and emerging leaders to join in the improvement of a community. The discussion includes: (1) asking the question "who's not here?" to make sure the community organization is representative; (2) looking for skills, not names to discover leadership…

The importance of volunteers in the provision of mental health crisis intervention services has been well documented. However, the volunteer turn-over rate is quite high, due to factors such as burnout. This study examined stressfulness in relationship to caller problems, as well as variables related to perceptions of stress. In this study…

This book provides information on workplace volunteering and how employee volunteering programs operate in specific corporate cultures. Chapter 1 focuses on the rationale upon which corporate volunteer programs are constructed. The rationale's four basic components are discussed in detail: quality of life, worker participation, responding to…

For Postpartum Education for Parents (PEP) volunteers, this reference guide provides background information about the common concerns of parents. Extensively reviewed for accuracy and content by pediatricians, psychologists, obstetricians, nurses, and childbirth educators, the guide contains a summary discussion of the postpartum infant and…

An extensive literature review of helping behavior revealed research showing that sex differences in helping behavior were probably due to the sex of the person receiving help rather than to that of the person giving help and that volunteers' personality characteristics vary. This study compared differences in self-esteem between males and females…

Based mainly on personal experience and conditions prevailing in Malaysia, this discussion of juvenile delinquency explores (1) the extent of the problem; (2) some causative factors from a theoretical viewpoint; (3) criminal justice system provisions for dealing with the problem; and (4) preventive measures. In Malaysia, between 1960 and 1980 the…

This booklet is designed to sensitize volunteer literacy tutors to the special needs and interests of illiterate older learners. It also gives useful tips for creating successful and self-rewarding learning experiences. The first section on the world of older adults with literacy problems describes some of the characteristics of this group. In the…

This report describes a wide spectrum of programs that are successfully using older people in education roles. A survey has indicated that older educators are successful, not only as evaluated by the sponsors of educational programs, but also in the eyes of their students. The possibilities are not limited to formal schooling but include service…

Alumni service resources available to a large Chicago-area community college were studied. A six-year followup study was conducted at Harper College with a population of students who completed 48 or more semester hours during the 1974-1975 academic year. A sample of 543 alumni were asked whether they would be willing to provide a variety of…

A screening program at rural and urban Mississippi sites to determine developmental disabilities in young children (birth to 3 years) was carried out by community volunteers who had been trained to administer the Steps-Up screening instrument. Of 244 infants and young children who were screened within a 9 month interval, 76 children were…

To examine the relationship between two types of motivation (altruistic and non-altruistic) and perception of the volunteer experience, 43 volunteer workers at St. Elizabeth's, a mental hospital, were surveyed. These student volunteers from Washington, D.C. area universities completed questionnaires at the beginning and end of their 10-week…

Information on spouses of college presidents is presented. This 1983 survey of member institutions of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) updates a 1981 survey. Of the 337 presidential spouses, 54 percent responded, including 4 of the 7 male spouses. Respondents provided information on: their personal lives and…

Attributions affect coping with victimization. Battered women who blame their husbands' moods are less likely to leave than are women who blame their husbands' permanent characteristics for the violence. Abused women often have repeated contacts with crisis intervention workers and the attitudes of those workers may affect the attributions made by…

Volunteerism is increasing today and helps to fill in the gaps created by funding and staff cutbacks in service-oriented agencies. It is critical not only to recruit new volunteers but to retain volunteers. This study examines hospice volunteers for motivation and rewards. Previous studies have found motivations to include altruism and…