Dedicated to helping others, Betty Volk began her career in 1960 as the owner of Mobile Lunch Complite Services, which she ran until 1996. During this time, she became involved with what would eventually become the Volunteers for Veterans Foundation. Originating as a car show in support of veterans at the Loma Linda VA in 1990, Ms. Volk helped the group form a self-supporting organization, so that they did not solely have to rely on car shows for funding. Notably, she was also active with the local Veterans Affairs office from 1990 to 2009. In 2009, the Volunteers for Veterans Foundation was officially formed with Ms. Volk as the financial coordinator and her husband, Larry Volk, as chairman.
Today, the Volunteers for Veterans Foundation strives to provide assistance to all active and retired veterans as well as to those who are in transition to civilian life and awaiting their Veterans Affairs benefits. As the financial coordinator, Ms. Volk’s duties include liaising with various other agencies, making important decisions in conjunction with the board, networking, and assisting veterans in a variety of capacities, ranging from financial to emotional support. Throughout her work, she is inspired by her desire to help those in need as well as by knowing that her own loved ones are doing well. Ms. Volk takes great pride in the fact that they were able to establish the foundation and build it up to achieve such a significant amount success, particularly since they do not receive, and have never received, government funding.
Looking toward the future, Ms. Volk plans to recruit new leaders who are passionate about helping veterans in the same ways that she is, so that the organization will continue to excel once it comes time for her eventual retirement. She is also trying to increase their board’s involvement in their fundraising and has begun the process of transforming her current, volunteer position into a full-time salaried position. While Ms. Volk is proud to have done a considerable amount of work to help veterans in a volunteer capacity, she feels that cementing the position of financial coordinator as a paid one for future leaders will help to bolster and give new credibility to the organization.
Ms. Volk feels incredibly blessed that she has been able to help so many veterans through her work. Throughout her career, she has grown and progressed considerably, and she notes that alongside her professional skills, she has grown in confidence and compassion as well. She also came to the realization that, sometimes, in order to see the big picture, the best thing you can do is to try and put yourself in the other person’s shoes. One of the most important moments of her career came when she realized that they needed to establish a method of more consistent funding, because they were unable to always provide veterans with what they needed due to their funding limitations.
Ms. Volk has been happily married to her husband, Larry, for many years and has been proud to work alongside him at the Volunteers for Veterans Foundation. As they raised their children together, they did their best to instill in them the importance of helping others. For her decades of excellence, Ms. Volk has been the recipient of a number of recognition plaques and trophies from the Volunteers for Veterans Foundation and various other Veterans Affairs organizations.
