Doris Jolley
A longtime volunteer for the CONTACT Care Line, an East Tennessee crisis intervention resource, was recently honored with a national award for outstanding contributions, a press release said.
Doris Jolley, a CONTACT volunteer for more than 43 years, was awarded the Spirit of Contact Award given by the National Association of Crisis Center Directors and Contact USA following their annual meeting in Phoenix, Arizona, last fall. The award is the highest given by the organization and recognizes Jolley’s supreme commitment to serving community members in crisis, the press release said.
Having completed the newly implemented CONTACT training course, Jolley was accredited to take calls on the brand new Oak Ridge Contact Helpline in October 1973. Since then, her service to the organization has continued without interruptions, the press release said. Over the years, Jolley has served the organization in a variety of roles: crisis line volunteer, scheduler of volunteers, mentor to new volunteer recruits, as well as executive director for 16 years. Since 2009 alone, Jolley has logged more than 4,000 hours of service.
“Her energy and commitment are contagious,” said Bruce Marshall, who is now executive director of CONTACT. “There is no doubt that she helped to set a standard of excellence, which has been the hallmark of CONTACT since its beginning.”
CONTACT Care Line provides critical support services for nine East Tennessee counties in the 865 area code. Its mission is to provide a confidential crisis line to anyone who needs a listening ear or a referral for other community resources. Volunteers are required to attend a 32-hour training session on active listening before being certified to respond to callers.
The organization also provides suicide prevention training for schools and churches upon request and is a member of the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline along with 160 other crisis centers across the country.
CONTACT also provides support for the homebound through its Reassurance Program. The mission of this newly launched service is to help senior citizens continue living safely in their homes by providing them with regular connection to others through daily phone calls, the press release said.
For more information on CONTACT Care Line and Reassurance Program, see the website at www.contactcarelinetn.org. The CONTACT Care Line can be reached at (865) 584-4424 between the hours of 10 a.m. and 10 p.m., seven days a week.
Leave a Reply