More Than a Helping Hand: How Volunteers Strengthen PCOA From the Inside Out When most people picture a volunteer, they imagine someone giving a few hours of their time. What they don’t always see is everything that volunteer makes possible: the caregiver who finally understands her Medicare options, the front desk that stays covered during a lunch rush, the staff member freed up to solve a harder problem. At PCOA, volunteers are not extra hands. They are part of how the work gets done. Tom Stoffel, who counsels Medicare beneficiaries, puts it simply. “Volun - teering at PCOA has come with two recurring rewards: the privilege of meeting heroic caregivers and the benefit of consistently getting more than I give.” His colleague Susan Lockridge describes the same pull. “It is very fulfilling to work with people who are caregivers for the people they love and still maintain a positive attitude and are kind and supportive of each other. An added bonus is learning about the fantastic array of services PCOA provides to the community. VOLUNTEERS
Being a volun- teer for PCOA is a constant learning experience.”
“The benefits to yourself and those you help will change your perspective on what is possible.” – Rosemarie Godbe, Volunteer
That spirit shows up
most clearly in our Medicare
every income level, from those who need help covering their premiums to those navigating high-income coverage rules. This group is how PCOA extends its reach, meeting more people in more corners of the community and helping each one make a fully informed decision about their healthcare. The same generosity shows up the moment you walk through our doors. Two of the first faces visitors meet belong to Monica Weiss and Marcia Roberts, who volunteer at our front desk. Warm and welcoming, they greet every visitor and client with respect, making sure that anyone who comes in feels seen and at ease. That first impression matters more than it might seem. For an older adult or caregiver arriving with questions, worry, or uncertainty, a kind greeting can be the difference between feeling like a number and feeling genuinely cared for. There is a practical side to that warmth, too. Once settled into the role, a front-desk volunteer like Monica or Marcia can cover lunch breaks so staff are no longer pulled from their own work to provide coverage. That same support gives our front-desk team a chance to step away from constant interruptions and focus on other
counseling program. PCOA has 18 volunteer Medicare counselors whose service ranges from one year to twenty. Everyone is trained and certified through the State Health Insurance Assistance Program, known as SHIP, to provide counseling free of any sales pressure or bias. They keep that knowledge sharp through in-house training every month, because Medicare rules rarely sit still. What sets these counselors apart is who they are. They are Pima County residents and your neighbors, and nearly all of them are long-time Medicare beneficiaries themselves. They have lived the decisions they now help others make. They have read the fine print, weighed the trade-offs, and asked the same questions newcomers ask. That lived experience makes them uniquely suited to guide people through one of the most consequential choices of later life. They counsel beneficiaries at
“Volunteering at PCOA has come with two recurring rewards: the privilege of meeting heroic caregivers and the benefit of consistently getting more than I give.” – Tom Stoffel, Volunteer
Page 16 | July & August 2026, Never Too Late
Pima Council on Aging
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