A Close- Up Look At People Who Matter : A Workaholic Writes Guide for Volunteers

Leslie Godwin, a family therapist, business consultant and volunteer, knows she has a potential for a certain kind of addiction.

“I come from a family of workaholics,” said Godwin, 35, a New York native who now lives in Calabasas. “I don’t think that I ever crossed the line. But I knew when I started the business I had to be careful.”

Godwin founded Parent Support Services in her home two years ago to help working parents and advise businesses on family issues.

Godwin helps parents balance the demands of work and family. Volunteering can help relieve some of that pressure, she says. Although volunteering is important to her, juggling commitments can be difficult for busy professionals who, like herself, are trying to avoid becoming workaholics.

So, Godwin has put together “Volunteer Opportunities for Busy People,” a 30-page booklet on local nonprofit groups, each marked with picture icons to quickly indicate which best meets the needs of different kinds of volunteers.

“I wrote this for someone like me,” said Godwin, who started collecting names of groups during the holidays. “I hate the feeling when I’m getting into something and then realize, ‘Oh gosh, I don’t think I can do it.’ ”

The listings note the suitability of activities to various volunteers, such as for high school students or parents who need to bring children along. They also give specifics on what is to be expected of volunteers and what the hours are.

Godwin said she looked for contacts by networking through nonprofit groups she already knew and by advertising in a local newspaper. She focused on volunteer work that offers personal, meaningful contact with the people being helped, such as being surrogate grandparents, mentoring young parents or helping pregnant teenagers.

Along the way, Godwin discovered what she considered to be some unusual groups, such as Kids Kaps with Love, which meets weekly to make hats for children with cancer or AIDS. She also got fan mail.

“I got letters from people who weren’t even looking to be included in the book,” Godwin said. “They just wanted to write to tell me it was a good idea.”

She avoided including simple office tasks and clerical work in the volunteering opportunities. Assignments that offer one-on-one contact with the person being helped can make a difference in a busy volunteer’s life and make it easier to go back to the regular job.

“I think you go back a little reinvigorated,” Godwin said. For example, accountants who tutor high school math students return to the job feeling better about themselves, she said. The boost in morale makes it worthwhile for companies to allow employees to volunteer during work hours, she tells her clients.

For working parents, volunteering can also release pressure.

“Some people have trouble making the transition between leaving work and going home,” Godwin said. So maybe stopping off at a volunteer assignment on the way home can help them relax, she said.

Godwin will have 200 free copies of the booklet available by April 22 for high schools, businesses and community groups. Additional copies would be available for the cost of printing. She is also still soliciting entries for future editions.

To reach Godwin call (818) 880-4486 or fax at (818) 880-4342.

Personal Best is a weekly profile of an ordinary person who does extraordinary things. Please send suggestions on prospective candidates to Personal Best, Los Angeles Times, 20000 Prairie St., Chatsworth 91311. Or fax them to (818) 772-3338. Or e-mail them to valley@latimes.com