Spirit of Service Winner – ACES Volunteer Bethene Trexel

Supervision, growth, and respect - the keys to being an extraordinary volunteer

“I am so glad that things I know can be passed on to help so many people,” says Bethene Trexel, who won a Spirit of Service award for her work as an RSVP volunteer.

“It's satisfying to give people information they can use to deal better with their lives,”

says Bethene Trexel, an RSVP volunteer through the Advocacy, Counseling and Entitlement Services Project (ACES) at the Community Service Society as she sums up the reasons why people become volunteers.

“I believe service is important, and what I can do is give my time and knowledge of how programs work so people can make informed decisions.” 

Giving her time to others – receiving fulfillment in return

Since August 2003, Bethene has been volunteering at the Public Benefits Resource Center, where she counsels New Yorkers on public benefits, including Medicaid, Medicare Part D, Food Stamps and Social Security.  

But what makes her experience as a volunteer most rewarding is her ability to impact the lives of her clients.

Jenny, a lupus patient, didn’t know whether the Part D plan to which she was assigned would cover the 12 drugs she needed to function.  She made an appointment to see Bethene, who found a plan for Jenny that covered all of her medications with the fewest barriers. 

"Jenny’s good spirit and appreciation were the highlight of a long day of helping people select a Part D plan," says Bethene… her own spirit lifted by seeing her client succeed. 

Helping others earns her respect from her peers!

To help stay on the cutting edge, Bethene attends meetings on Medicare Part D and has built a knowledge base that empowers her as a volunteer.  Bethene shares her experience with other caseworkers by conducting workshops on how to breakdown the complexities of Part D.

“I was given respect as I became knowledgeable, and so I attend professional meetings, write articles, speak to groups, train social workers and my supervisors at PBRC, prepare charts summarizing Part D rules … I am so glad that things I know can be passed on to help so many people.”

It is this kind of determination, commitment and resolve that has earned her the Spirit of Service Award from the Corporation for National and Community Service.  Bethene reminds us why volunteering can be such a rewarding experience… it allows us to impact the lives of others while we empower ourselves.

Read more stories about our retired and senior volunteers.

Retired & Senior Volunteer Program

Established nearly 40 years ago, the Retired & Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) now has 9,000 volunteers who contribute more than two million hours of service annually to 600 organizations in New York City. RSVP is part of the Community Service Society of New York (CSS), a nonprofit organization that advocates on behalf of the poor in the areas of education, affordable housing, health care, and income maintenance. RSVP receives funding from CSS, the Corporation for National and Community Service, other government agencies, foundations, individuals, and the Friends of RSVP, Inc. More information about CSS’s Retired & Senior Volunteer Program.

If you would like to help CSS provide essential programs to help the poor and strengthen communities throughout New York City, please click here and make a tax-deductible donation. With your support we can make New York a better place for all our neighbors.