Eight's Army consists of volunteers who are willing to answer the call when a local emergency arises. We will also ask for volunteers' help with occasional community service projects, in which we'll take part as a unit. Special skills and talents are welcome, but equally important is a big heart and willing hands!

Service in 8's Army may only be 3 or 4 times per year. Among those 3-4 times could be as a volunteer on our 8 On Your Side Hurricane Helplines or one of the other emergency helplines we provide when needed. 8's Army is crucial to staffing those phonebanks! Volunteers would need to make sure their personal hurricane plan is in place and feel comfortable enough with it to be able to join us in the News Center across the Hillsborough River from downtown Tampa.

The first unit of 8's Army to be activated was our Helpline volunteers. This is where we're always looking for a few more men and women who may be interested in community service that's just a little different from the usual. Perhaps this is where you would fit in.

We're looking for people who are willing to volunteer 3 hrs., 1 day each week to answer consumer calls to Eight On Your Side. Since it takes several weeks to become familiar with procedures and responses, we like to ask for a commitment of several months. Many of our volunteers are retirees who enjoy travelling and visits from children and grandchildren. We're jealous of their ability to take off, but we work around their schedules so that they can continue with us.

Our Helpline volunteers fill out requests for assistance from callers, do some phoning out for further information or to refer the consumer to another agency that might be of assistance, mail out consumer information sheets, and provide various other answers asked by viewers. A good phone bank volunteer would be someone who's a good listener and has the personality to represent News Channel 8 On Your Side positively to those who call for assistance. This is an excellent opportunity for retired business people who enjoy working with the public.

The phones are answered from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., Monday – Friday. From 10-11 a.m. each day, we respond to those who have already contacted us for assistance. Then from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., we accept new calls from consumers with questions and problems. Two hours may not seem like very long, but each volunteer takes at least 10-15 new calls each day. As you can see, we stay busy, and we're all learning to be better consumers in the process! Most of our callers are very happy to have some help in locating the proper agency to assist them resolve their complaint... and they all express their gratitude for having someone to listen to them... just a phone call away.

If either the Helpline or our community service activities sound like a volunteer opportunity you'd be interested in learning more about, call Laurie Scollin at (813) 225-2723.