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SeniorNet - Huntington - Celebrating 10 Years of Service
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Huntington - Celebrating 10 Years of
Service									
TEN YEARS YOUNG
SeniorNet at FSL, L.I. (SN at FSL) has
reached a proud milestone - it is 10-years YOUNG.  Young, because while many
organizations its age would have already seen its' best years, SN at FSL's list
of achievements is still growing.  Since 1999, when its founders first met, it
has blossomed into a thriving organization that operates two centers - the main
one in Huntington NY and an Annex just opened in East Yaphank, NY.  It currently
has over 100 active volunteers who offer 27 computer courses annually while they
and their predecessors taught an astounding 5,000+ students in the past decade. 
For the Fall 2009 semester, 12 different courses will be taught in 17 separate
sessions.  In addition, for the first time, homebound students will be provided
LIVE instruction on their home computers via internet connection.  SN at FSL was
named the #1 Learning Center in SeniorNet's worldwide organization receiving the
2007 Chairman Award in Excellence and it was the recipient of the Chairman 2008
Exemplary Award.  After 10-years one might think that SN at FSL would be
fatigued and on the decline.  The opposite is of course true.  The question is -
Why?
HARD WORK, LUCK AND GENIUS
Most successful business owners credit their
success to hard work and a lot of luck.  SN at FSL is no different.  Let's
consider the chance happenings that spurred its success.
Right time - 1999 was
at the height of the computer explosion.  The Dot Com Bubble started in 1998 and
burst in 2001.  Computers were everywhere and drastically changing society.  The
seniors who wanted in, could not locate senior-friendly training on Long
Island.
Right idea - The Family Service League (FSL) recognized the need and
thought the SeniorNet model would be the way to address the problem.
Right place
- Long Island, New York has a large population of seniors and Huntington a large
population of retired professionals.
Right founders - They were a smart, capable
and friendly group of people who were enthusiastic about the new organization
and its mission.  Through hard work and a bit of genius they developed an
enduring organization that would surpass their wildest expectations.
BUILDING AN
ENDURING ORGANIZATION
Surveys indicate that about 33% of all new business
startups fail within the first two years and 50% within the first 5 years.  A
search of the internet indicated that at the 10-year mark as much as 90% will
have failed.  With all the problems facing a startup, the attraction and
retention of quality employees is one that is critical to long-term survival. 
The startup owner may have had the right timing, idea, place and drive to get
the business going, but without a steady stream of quality workers to sustain
it, the business will inevitably fail.
If this is true for a profit-making
business, it's probably doubly so for an all-volunteer, not-for profit
enterprise like SeniorNet.  In 1999, while the founders were trying to address
the countless problems facing them, knowing it or not, they began to fashion an
enduring organization and culture that would be the envy of the many books
written on this very subject.  These business books say that in order to have a
great work environment that attracts and retains quality people, workers need to
trust their leaders, enjoy their co-workers, and have pride in their particular
job and general mission of the organization.  This is exactly what we find today
at SN at FSL.
The 36 founders were intelligent, bighearted people with
infectious personalities.  They were not into empire building and avoided
politics.  Openness and cooperation was expected then which is the norm today. 
To address the many problems facing their fragile startup operation, they
created an organization of committees answering to the elected Co-Chairmen of
the Coordination Council.  In the beginning, the committees met weekly - they
had to.  As a result, mutual trust and long-lasting friendships developed.  To
most people the friendly atmosphere that arouse would have been simply passed
over as predictable, but it did not go unnoticed by the leadership.  They grew
to understand that in addition to meaningful work, people find the social aspect
in volunteering equally rewarding which the founders saw as a positive force to
be nurtured.  They were elated when the first semester registration resulted in
a line of potential students down the hallway and outside the front door. 
However, with the enterprise successfully underway, the need for new volunteers
was foremost so they formed the first Volunteer Recruitment Committee.
In the
10-years since then, the friendly collaborative culture survives.  Today many
people in addition to being an instructor, coach, or office-worker, also work on
a committee or two or three.  The leadership promotes the congenial atmosphere
by planning social get-togethers throughout the year such as luncheons and
picnics.  In addition, "business" meetings such as the Annual Meeting,
registration Open Houses, Volunteer Training sessions and committee meetings are
looked forward to by many as an excuse to be together and enjoy each other's
company.
Recruitment is taken seriously - very seriously.  The main recruitment
source has been and still is the students.  Today recruits are also solicited
from Internet websites such as VolunteerMatch.com.  Potential recruits are
interviewed, given a facility tour and then placed in a mutually agreeable job
that suits their skill set.  As new volunteers are trained, meet other people
and learn more about the organization, they often branch out into other roles. 
For the first year, the leadership monitors their progress to ensure they have a
rewarding experience.
Credit for the many accomplishments since those early days
10-years ago goes to the long list of subsequent leaders who improved on what
those  36 founders initiated and also to - get this - the five original founders
who are still active today.
Happy 10th Birthday SeniorNet at FSL, L.I.

Top
row: Nick DeFlorio, Slava Vero
Bottom
row: Don Stone, Helen Morris, Eric
Vero
*Nick
DeFlorio is a founding member and is active as a teacher and head
of
the speaker's bureau.
*Slava
Vero is a founding member who was the first
historian and development
coordinator. Now she is co-coordinator of the Learning
Center; serves
on the FSL Board of Directors and SeniorNet National
Chairman's
Advisory council.
*
Don Stone is the founding member of the
membership committee and is
the current chairperson. 
*Helen
Morris is a
founding member, is active as recording secretary and
formerly was the publicity
committee chairperson. 
*Eric
Vero is the founding member of the lab
coordinating team and
nationalgrid Donation & Refurbishing Project coordinator.

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