Two years ago, Dolores had cancer, and needed transportation to chemotherapy. The social worker at the hospital called Faith in Action to see if our volunteers could take Dolores three times a week for her treatment. Dolores was eventually matched with two volunteers - one who took her to her chemotherapy appointments and then later her radiation treatments; another did the light housekeeping that she could no longer manage.
Dolores survived her disease thanks to her treatment, and her matches with her Faith in Action volunteers came to an end. While Dolores recovered enough to do her own light housework, heavy housework is still hard for her. When Faith in Action had a group volunteer project last winter, staff contacted Dolores to see if she was interested in having a small group help her with the more difficult chores she can not manage on her own. A group of older teenaged girls came to her house to make it sparkle, from scrubbing floors and baseboards, to getting on step ladders to dust the tops of her picture frames and ceiling light fixtures.
I visited Dolores when the teens were there, and I noticed that she had a computer. I asked her if she used it very much. She said that she occasionally had her granddaughter over, and would pay her to give her computer lessons. But these visits were few and far between, and Dolores would forget what she had learned. Back at the office, I found out that Dolores had mentioned wanting a volunteer to help with using the computer in her initial home visit, even when she was so ill with cancer.
Now, computer assistance is not a priority service for Faith in Action. We want to make sure that our elderly clients first have access to medical services, have the ability to get to the grocery store and other essential errands, and have a safe and hygienic home. Preventing social isolation is another priority. So, while we would not make it a focus to recruit a volunteer for Dolores, if one happened along, we'd make a match.
Five months later, a volunteer did happen along. Jack is in his early 20s, and well, maybe he's figuring out what he's doing with himself - he had dropped out of school, had moved back in with his parents, and was working at a pizza parlor at night. He felt like he should be doing more with his life. He found Faith in Action's program through a google search.
Faith in Action matched Jack with Dolores as her computer mentor. We got a call spontaneously from Dolores a couple of weeks ago - she just wanted us to know that she was thrilled with him. Jack emailed us even more recently - he wants to get cleared so he can drive Dolores, too.
Sometimes we have matches between clients and volunteers that feel like they're just as much for the volunteers - maybe even more for the volunteers - as for the clients. This is one of them. Will Jack find the direction that he seems to never have had, through helping Dolores? As Jack reflected in his email, "I believe that one of the few things that actually matters in this world is the effects that we have on others and what better way than to help those truly in need."
small groups to tackle different projects at the Twitchells'. Some washed windows. A few others powered up the pressure washer and hosed down the walk. More washed the Twitchells' old pick-up truck - while no one drives it any more, by keeping it looking clean, it appears that someone is using it regularly, and makes the couple less vulnerable as a target for crime. Other teens weeded and clipped down overgrown grass. Another set rebuilt the scarecrow. Alfred's dementia is such that he is often suspicious of strangers, but while he was seated outside, drinking lemonade, he enjoyed the teens that stopped by to chat.
