Duke Employees Who Volunteer at Duke
April is National Volunteer Month, time to honor 64.5 million helpers
Rippling notes of Beethoven's "Moonlight Sonata" rose through the Duke Cancer Center atrium as John Toffaletti's fingers danced across piano keys. A few visitors peered over balcony railings to watch him play while others hurried to appointments.
"Playing here is fascinating because you never know who is listening," said Toffaletti, professor of pathology.
Read MoreToffaletti, who plays piano in the atrium every Thursday during his lunch break, is among a unique group of volunteers: Employees who return to Duke on their free time for work that enriches them and the lives of the Duke community, patients and visitors.
Duke faculty, staff and students are among the 64.5 million volunteers celebrated in April during National Volunteer Month. The strong tradition of volunteerism at Duke was most recently reflected in Duke's inclusion on the President's Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll, a recognition for Duke's commitment to service and civic engagement.
"Volunteerism is alive and well at Duke," said Megan Granda, executive director of the Duke Center for Civic Engagement. "Duke has the stated value of putting knowledge in the service of society, and it has an amazing range of opportunities for doing that."
Toffaletti, a Duke faculty member since 1979, stumbled upon the opportunity to volunteer last year when employees were invited to play the piano donated for the dedication of the Cancer Center. Toffaletti, who taught himself to play classical music as a teenager, reserved an hour on the Steinway baby grand piano.
"The first time I came over to play, I was terrified. I had never played in public," he said. His tune changed when a young woman approached him at the end of the hour. "She told me her father was upstairs enjoying the music while he had chemotherapy," Toffaletti said. "It's an incredibly good feeling to know I'm giving patients and their families some enjoyment during their visit."
Across Duke, employees volunteer time in tasks as varied as helping students with their writing assignments, cheering up patients through pet therapy, or greeting visitors in places such as the Sarah P. Duke Gardens.
Millicent Rogers, who works in the Duke Textbook Store, spends a few hours each weekend volunteering at the Sarah P. Duke Gardens. Her favorite time is the spring plant sale, where she helps sell an array of azaleas, daylilies and other garden delights. She also pitches in at the cashier station, fetches supplies or offers directions to visitors.
"The people at the Gardens are so welcoming and warm, and I love to help visitors experience that," said Rogers, who has worked at Duke 10 years. "When I give out smiles or help someone carry a plant to their car, I feel like I am doing my part in promoting Duke."
Last year, volunteers at Sarah P. Duke Gardens worked 17,000 hours according to Chuck Hemric, volunteer coordinator. "Volunteers are essential to getting things done here," he said.
Sometimes employees volunteer in the same place they spend their regular work hours. George Grody, for example, teaches in the LINK in Perkins Library. On April 30, he will return to the library at 8 p.m. with homemade brownies and a chocolate fountain as a volunteer for an end-of-semester study break for students sponsored by the Friends of Duke University Libraries.
"Passing out baked goods is a small thing, but it creates a tangible relationship with students I wouldn't otherwise meet," said Grody, a Duke alumnus and visiting associate professor of marketing and management studies. "Volunteering is my way of getting to know Duke. It embeds me in the community in a way that nothing else can."