For local retiree Tom Cosgrove, the real work has just begun.
Cosgrove volunteers with the Ignatian Volunteer Corps of Baltimore, an organization that provides volunteer work for men and women over age 50.
Cosgrove, who worked as an executive for AT&T, volunteers on Wednesdays and Fridays at the Arc of Baltimore?s Rutherford Day Center. The Arc offers a variety of programs and services for adults with mental retardation.
“I just like going and being with the clients of Arc. They are so honest,” Cosgrove said.
“A few weeks ago, one of [my clients] came in and gave me a sheet of paper on which was typed something to the effect of ?Mr. Tom is a nice man, he takes us walking, he reads us books and he helps us a lot. I like Mr. Tom,? ” Cosgrove said. “One of the programs that Arc has is to expose them to computers, so he had been learning to type and gave it to me. It just about took my breath away.”
Cosgrove said that one of the most beneficial aspects of working through IVC is the spiritual-reflection program. Members can meet with an individual counselor or with a group to discuss the spiritual aspects of the time spent volunteering.
“We get a lot of volunteers based on the uniqueness that the volunteering is partnered with the reflection,” said Bill Macsherry, IVC Baltimore?s regional director.
Retired social worker Kricket Hicks volunteers on Wednesdays and Thursdays at the Baltimore County Detention Center. On Wednesdays, she runs a Bible study group for the women inmates, and on Thursdays, conducts exit interviews for prisoners being released.
“I knew right from the beginning that I wanted to work with prisoners,” Hicks said. “In the past, I worked in substance-abuse treatment and many of the women that I worked with had been in jail or prison. I found that it was very rewarding to go back to that field.
“It makes me feel that I¹m almost like a messenger,” she said. “It makes me feel more tolerant as a person and that I?m very fortunate to be put in this kind of situation where I can hopefully do some good.
“I love being a social worker and I love my Catholic faith, so the two component parts are very rewarding,” Hicks said. “I feel that this is where I?m supposed to be.”
