the power of a touch,
a smile,
a kind word,
a listening ear,
an honest compliment or the
smallest act of caring, all of
which have the power to turn
a life around.
- Leo Buscaglia
V0LUNTEERS IN ACTION
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Secretary of the Board Barbara Sabo
History of VG 1-on-1
Volunteer Guardianship One on One, Inc. started as a response to the need for court appointed legal guardians for incapacitated adults who had no family or friends willing or able to become their guardians. The New Jersey Office of the Public Guardian had generally handled these types of cases. In the mid 1990's due to budget restrictions, a moratorium was put on accepting new cases. That created a crisis on the county level because Surrogates and Judges had no one to turn to to help these very vulnerable people. Hunterdon County Surrogate Susan Hoffman and an attorney named Anthony Serra developed the original concept of using volunteers in a structured way to meet this need. Traditionally, if there is no family, and the Office of Public Guardian was not available, the court would appoint an attorney to the role.
This was the case in 1997. Tony Serra, Esq. had been appointed to be the guardian ad litem for a patient in Hagedorn Geriatric Psychiatric Center in Glen Gardner. When it was determined that this patient would need a permanent legal guardian, no family or friends could be located. As had happened in the past, it was likely that Tony would be appointed. At the time, he had a secretary who had voiced a desire to find fulfilling volunteer work and to make a difference in the life of another person. When Tony and Susan Hoffman met concerning this case, it was decided that locating a volunteer would be in the best interest of the patient. Judge Bernard agreed and the program was off to its start.
Volunteer Guardianship One on One, Inc. was incorporated in 2000 and received its non-profit status at the same time. Since then, it has received funding from Hunterdon County and the State of New Jersey, Department of Health and Senior Services.