You may be one of the tens of thousands of people who volunteer during the holidays. If so, you know what it’s like to experience that warm and fuzzy feeling.
But there’s no need to wait until Thanksgiving or Christmas. And there’s no reason to leave the kids at home. Imagine what a valuable lesson it would be to show them what it’s like to help someone else — regardless of the season.
During a recent tour of the dining room at the Haven of Rest Ministries homeless shelter in Akron, I stopped Julie Petschke as she was leaving with her two children. The family had volunteered by helping set up the room for lunch, snapping beans and cleaning up after folks had finished eating.
“I want the kids to focus on other people and giving back rather than fighting over petty things that don’t matter. Kids are naturally just so selfish. It’s a way to think about other people’s needs that are greater than yours,” said Petschke.
Prior to arriving at the shelter, the mom from Peninsula chatted with Rachel, 10, and Joshua, 8, about who they might meet.
“I explained that there may be women who live there with their children because it might not be safe to live at home anymore. And the men may be there because they lost their jobs and came upon hard times … or work but don’t have enough money to have a home of their own.”
While parents can explain to youngsters that others need their help, it sometimes takes more than just talking to make a point.
“The thing that shocked me the most is how happy my kids were,” said Petschke. “It was very important for them to do what we did.”
Jan Pluck, volunteer coordinator at Haven of Rest, said volunteers are needed throughout the year. And you can be creative when coming up with ways to contribute your time. That might mean the kids color place mats for the facility’s guests, or make beds and fold pajamas.
Speaking of clothes, new underwear and socks are in short supply at the shelter’s Client Services Center, which accepts donations. When someone steps inside the building, a sign reveals how much of each item of clothing they can have for free, based on supply. On a good day, a person may be able to get 10 free items. But because of the shortage during a recent afternoon, a “shopper” was limited to one piece of underwear and one pair of socks.
Other items in short supply are plus-sized men’s and women’s used clothing. But please don’t drop off items that you wouldn’t wear yourself — such as those that have broken zippers, are mildewed or stink.
“We can always use clothing because the needs just continue to grow,” explained John Carney, clothing coordinator.
All of this sounds like a great excuse to clean out the closets.
Those wanting to volunteer should call Jan Pluck at 330-535-1563. Or for more information, including when and where to donate clothing and other items, visit http://havenofrest.org.
Kudos
Dr. Renee Markovich of Green and her parents, Richard and Carol Markovich of Vienna, have been named the 2014 Ohio Academy of Family Physicians Foundation (OAFP Foundation) Philanthropists of the Year.
The Philanthropist of the Year Award is presented to one or more individuals who have a proven record of exceptional generosity, who through financial support have demonstrated outstanding civic and charitable responsibility and whose generosity encourages others to take philanthropic leadership roles.
Dr. Markovich has been practicing family medicine for 17 years. She is currently the clinical associate director at the Akron General Center for Family Medicine Residency Program.
Kim Hone-McMahan can be reached at 330-996-3742 or kmcmahan@thebeaconjournal.com. Find her on Facebook at www.facebook.com/kim.honemcmahan.