Ross Sammeroff – Volunteer Board Member
My experience as a Volunteer Board member at GCA has confirmed that we can continue to provide a high quality service if we are innovative, focused on our end goals, inclusive and consultative, and always flexible in particular regard to the needs of our valued clients”…
When I returned to Glasgow in 1999 after a lengthy period of employment outside the UK, I was hoping to find an opportunity where I could utilise any limited talents that I may have had to “give something back” to Glasgow or really the wider community. I had always worked in the Human Resources and Recruitment fields and initially, thought about taking a Counselling course and becoming a qualified Counsellor ( as an HR guy and like many Glaswegians, I had no difficulty in talking and hopefully was a reasonably good “listener”).
On further discussions with family, close friends and professionals in the field, however, I fairly quickly appreciated that there was a lot more to Counselling than the skills mentioned above and decided to keep looking! As fate would have it, my brother Stanley, who sadly passed away recently, told me to speak to his Counsellor Iain Brown, who also happened to be the CEO of the Glasgow Council on Alcohol! Iain and I had a great discussion and he advised me to join the GCA Executive Committee whereby I could try to utilise my Business and HR experience.
Well, as they say – the rest is history. I have had the great honour and have always really enjoyed being allowed to serve this great Voluntary organisation for so many years. Throughout my long tenure at GCA, I have always been so impressed with the professional, skilful, loyal and hard working staff members we have had and continue to employ. I would also like to convey my admiration for all the Volunteers who give their time and energy so selflessly.
On a lighter and personal note, during my summer vacations from University, I worked as a Butlin’s Redcoat at Ayr where I picked up some nifty Ballroom dancing moves – unfortunately these skills were not maintained, so don’t expect me to appear on Strictly Come Dancing any time soon!
Ross