Leaders at the Alzheimer’s Disease Resource Center (ADRC) in East Islip and Pal-O-Mine Equestrian in Islandia say a strong volunteer program is essential to their long-term success.
By Denise Shields, Island Edge Business News
Growing business demands and budgetary restraints can leave employees feeling overworked and overwhelmed. For nonprofit organizations, volunteers help alleviate those pressures by expanding capacity, supporting daily operations and allowing staff to focus on strategic priorities that advance their missions.
Leaders at the Alzheimer’s Disease Resource Center (ADRC) in East Islip and Pal-O-Mine Equestrian in Islandia say a strong volunteer program is essential to their long-term success. Whether mentoring clients, supporting therapeutic services, maintaining facilities or handling administrative tasks, volunteers expand each organization’s capacity and enable it to serve more people.
At ADRC, volunteers assist with care consultations, caregiver support groups, educational programs and daily life enrichment activities for individuals living with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias and their caregivers.
“These programs allow caregivers to spend quality time with their loved ones while connecting with others facing similar challenges,” said Lauren Vlachos, executive director and chief executive officer of ADRC.
Volunteers greet participants, distribute refreshments and supplies, assist with activities such as chair boxing and music sessions and organize fundraising events. Before working directly with individuals and their caregivers, they complete a specialized onboarding process, undergo background checks, provide references and receive training to prepare them to meet the unique needs of those they serve.
For many ADRC volunteers, the work is deeply personal. After caring for a loved one, they join the organization, finding a renewed sense of purpose while supporting families facing the same journey.
“We have amazing volunteers,” said Vlachos. “They have lived experience and understand what our families are going through.”
Recognition also plays an important role in retention. ADRC hosts an annual recognition banquet and features stories on its website showcasing the people behind its volunteer program.
“If you treat people with respect and appreciate their effort, they will contribute in any way they can,” Vlachos said.
Like ADRC, Pal-O-Mine Equestrian relies heavily on volunteers to extend its reach. Approximately 85 active volunteers support more than 400 clients each week through a comprehensive therapeutic equine program serving children and adults with disabilities, veterans, trauma survivors, first responders and other vulnerable populations.
“Our volunteers are the backbone of our organization, and each contributes something meaningful,” said Heather Mondelli, volunteer coordinator at Pal-O-Mine.
From serving as side walkers during therapeutic riding lessons to caring for animals, maintaining the property, supporting vocational training programs, staffing community events and assisting with operational projects, volunteers play a vital role throughout the organization. Their contributions allow staff to focus on therapeutic services and large-animal care.
Word-of-mouth remains one of Pal-O-Mine’s strongest recruitment tools, supported by the organization’s 30-year reputation. The nonprofit participates in community fairs and outreach events to connect with prospective volunteers and raise awareness of its mission.
Preparing people for those responsibilities begins with a comprehensive onboarding process that includes an application, mandatory orientation and hands-on training. Once they join the organization, Pal-O-Mine emphasizes ongoing training and communication to help them succeed.
“We take a thoughtful and thorough approach to training, gauging and fostering the strengths, experience, background and interests of each volunteer while maintaining open lines of communication for feedback and inquiry,” Mondelli said.
“By fostering a culture of respect, appreciation and education, and truly valuing the contributions, strengths and interests of our volunteers, our retention rate exceeds the norm. Many of our volunteers have been an active and important part of the Pal-O-Mine family for more than two decades.”
Both leaders agree nonprofits often underestimate people’s willingness to lend a hand.
“Organizations make the mistake of not asking people to help,” Vlachos said. “They don’t want to impose. The answer is always no if you don’t ask. Most people want to contribute. They just don’t know how.”
Mondelli said some nonprofits hesitate to rely on volunteers because of concerns about commitment, consistency and reliability. Her experience, however, has shown that those concerns are often unfounded.
“When volunteers are properly trained, appreciated and understand the importance of their role, they go above and beyond to be dependable and become an invaluable asset to the organization,” Mondelli said.
While volunteer programs require planning, training and ongoing communication, both nonprofits say the investment delivers lasting value. As demands continue to grow and resources remain limited, volunteers remain one of nonprofits’ most valuable resources for expanding services, strengthening programs and deepening community impact.
To learn more about the Alzheimer’s Disease Resource Center and Pal-O-Mine Equestrian, visit their websites at www.adrcinc.org and www.pal-o-mine.org.
This story appeared in Island Edge Business News on August 2nd, 2026
