[Community_garden] Background checks on volunteers

[Don Boekelheide]

Hi, all,

I agree with Mike and Adam. Background checks don't
work terribly well anyway, even when done by big
agencies. For small non-profits, who is going to pay
for this scheme?

For gardeners, if I did background checks at the
homeless program, don't think I'd have many (any?)
gardeners at all. Adam nailed it.

As for volunteers, I deal with two basic types. The
ones who come regularly I get to know. High priority.
Often, I recruit them. The vast majority, though, come
in big groups from companies, churches, schools,
"hands-on' volunteer efforts. They usually stay a
couple of hours, then head out. I can't imagine how or
why I'd try to do background checks on them all!

Of course, within your organization, you want to be
careful about who handles money and who is empowered
to set policy. Even then, though, I'm not sure
'background checking' is the best way to determine
honesty and reliability.

Don Boekelheide
Charlotte NC

> Today's Topics:
> 
>    1. Re: Background checks on volunteers (Mike
> McGrath)

> Message: 1
> Date: Mon, 23 Apr 2007 10:13:10 -0400
> From: "Mike McGrath" <MikeMcG at PTD.net>
> Subject: Re: [Community_garden] Background checks on
> volunteers
> To: <patsysavon at swbell.net>,
> 	<community_garden at list.communitygarden.org>,
> <adam36055 at aol.com>
> Message-ID:
> <003301c785b1$8625fa90$3400a8c0 at mikedell4100>
> Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed;
> charset="iso-8859-1";
> 	reply-type=original
> 
> Just noticed this thread (just got back from a big
> Earth Day event in 
> Princeton; at the most amazing Whole foods I've ever
> seen--Disneyland for an 
> organic tree-hugger like me!)
>     Anyway, Adam is dead right here. Background
> checks for day care workers, 
> sure--but gardeners? What are they going to
> do--molest the monarda????
>                                             ---McG
> 
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: <adam36055 at aol.com>
> To: <patsysavon at swbell.net>;
> <community_garden at list.communitygarden.org>
> Sent: Monday, April 23, 2007 12:53 AM
> Subject: Re: [Community_garden] Background checks on
> volunteers
> 
> 
> > Welcome to America - land of background checks for
> volunteers, even in, it 
> > seems, community gardens.
> >
> > As a parent in NYC, I kept my eyes open for the
> usual pedophile types when 
> > raising my son, and shoo'ed off my share of
> drag-nasties when they hung 
> > out too close to the sandbox (they tended to throw
> their crack vials and 
> > syringes into the sand when the cops came around.)
> > However, community gardens are often places where
> folks who are not 
> > permitted to make contributions elsewhere are
> accepted - many of whom are 
> > homeless, ex-convicts, illegal aliens, or are "of
> color," and don't talk 
> > in the carefully middle-class tones of a
> Condolezza Rice.
> >
> > Background checks would turn discourage these
> folks from working in 
> > community gardens, a place where many re-enter, or
> enter society and help 
> > us all build community.
> >
> > Certainly, I'd keep my eyes peeled for aberrant
> behavior, and yes, the odd 
> > sociopath might get involved in the group from
> time to time, I mean, 
> > community gardens are no different in that extent
> from the US House of 
> > Representatives, for example.
> >
> > But background checks for volunteers in community
> gardens would have an 
> > unecessarily chilling effect on building community
> in neighborhoods where 
> > many folks have been incarcerated ( usually poor,
> and of color) and using 
> > community gardens to rehabilitate folks who have
> made mistakes in the 
> > past.
> >
> > Best wishes,
> > Adam Honigman
> >
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: patsysavon at swbell.net
> > To: community_garden at list.communitygarden.org
> > Sent: Sun, 22 Apr 2007 11:01 PM
> > Subject: [Community_garden] Background checks on
> volunteers
> >
> >
> > There has been some discussion in our community
> garden as to "background 
> > checks"
> > for all its volunteers.  Many members have had
> backgrounds checks 
> > performed on
> > them when working with other agencies. We conduct
> several monthly children 
> > tours
> > and other community events.  We are wondering how
> other gardens are 
> > handling
> > this situation.
> >
> >  Thank you for your input.