City Church

I just finished working with a group from City Church this afternoon. This group of young adults do volunteer work consistently, a couple of hours at a time, two to three days a week, all through the year. They are always on the hunt for projects they can do together. Quite often, they end up doing work like "Adopt a Highway", but they prefer to do activities where they get an opportunity directly help others.

This was their first time volunteering for Faith in Action. They helped an elderly couple that, because of illness and disability, had gotten very far behind on their housework. It's not that their house had anything gross or rotten -- we do run into those situations. Rather, everything needed a thorough dusting, thorough wiping, through vacuuming, in every single room of the house.
At first they were tentative, but soon they fell into all that needed to be done. Paper towels were broken out with many bottles of window cleaner, and they washed the windows. We went through an entire carton of swiffer dusting cloths, reaching up to light fixtures, lintels, and picture frames that probably haven't been dusted in years. Then, three vacuums were going at once - the one I brought from home had its chamber emptied of dust and pet hair at least three times that I know of! The group worked very hard for the two hours that they were at the house.

I wish I could tell you that by the time the two hours were over, that  the house was perfect. Unfortunately, the scope of what needed to be done was so immense, that isn't true. But these volunteers made a real, palpable, breathable, difference. The next time they come out, they'll be able to spend another two hours wiping and dusting and vacuuming. Each time, the house will be that much more of a healthy and hygienic living environment for the elderly couple that lives there.

At Faith in Action, we are looking forward to building a strong partnership with City Church's volunteers. We have a few rather daunting projects - major shrub trimming, heavy housework like the group did today - that aren't for the faint of heart or limb, and could use the energy and focus of a relatively large group of people in their 20s. And the volunteer tasks that we can offer them brings them the human contact that they are looking for. Our elderly clients will benefit - but so will these volunteers, who can see the faces of the people they are helping, and they can know that they are putting their faith in action.

 

We can find, screen, and deploy volunteers like these, because of your support. Thank you, on the behalf of the frail and disabled elderly we serve.

Phil

Do you remember Phil from a previous Friday Focus?  He was getting rides to kidney dialysis in Snoqualmie through a Faith in Action volunteer.

Since I wrote that email, we have two more kidney dialysis patients looking for transportation. Unlike Phil, who lives in town, these two people live in much more remote locations - one lives in a trailer park near Tiger Mountain, the other lives in May Valley. Unfortunately, because of their inaccessibility, Access will not serve either of these two locations. Right now, both dialysis patients are dependent on their elderly spouses to take them. Unfortunately, in both of these cases, the elderly wife or husband really is not capable of driving safely any more, because of limited eyesight and slow reaction time. Issaquah Hobart Road and May Valley Road have relatively high speeds and are poorly lit - it is often dark in the late afternoons during this time of the year, when a patient is finished with dialysis.

A dialysis patient requires six trips a week, every week, for the rest of the client's life. It takes a lot of volunteer time to meet the need of just one person - but the volunteer's service can mean the difference between life and death . We are actively recruiting a host of drivers to serve these two people. If you know of someone who might be interested in helping us, please let us know. Please call the office at 425-369-9120 or email us at info@faithinaction4seniors.org.

Thank you for your support of our work, and for your interest in our clients.

Patty

Patty lives in an apartment in downtown Issaquah. She is chronically mentally ill, and is matched with a regular volunteer who takes her to a clinic where they can monitor her medication.  With these consistent and regular visits, is able to manage her condition pretty well. And like many of our clients, she calls our office when she has occasional doctors' visits for other health concerns.

Patty came to our program through the recommendation of a friend, another elderly client. The assessment team member who did Patty's initial home visit for our program noted that Patty was very withdrawn during the visit, perhaps because of her anxiety. And when Patty first would call our office to request a ride, you could hear the hesitation and discomfort on the phone.

Now, a year and a half later, Patty has come out of her shell. When she calls for ride, it feels more like she is asking a friend for help. And her volunteers are her friends - not just connecting Patty to the health care she needs, but providing a human connection she otherwise might not have in her life.

Since Patty became a client in February 2009, Faith in Action volunteers have given her 238 one-way trips, totalling over 2500 miles. The quality of her life, through the access to the physical and mental health services she needs, and the social contacts she has made, has been transformed. Your support of Faith in Action has made this transformation possible.