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When you volunteer, you give yourself a
moment to experience someone else's life. That's why we volunteer. We find that
no matter what we thought or expected walking in, we leave the experience
transformed. We want to feel that we were able to make an impact.
The Shelter Network committee facilitates League members to lead Life Boost workshops with the
women and men who live in two local shelters in the Innvision Shelter
Network--Haven House in Menlo Park and First Steps for Families in San Mateo.
The workshops are short, only an hour, and divided into short
segments of time, career, and money management.
"What struck me most about the
group who attended my session was how diverse it was- single mothers and their
babies, middle-aged women, couples, and young adults. I quickly realized
that there was no cookie cutter advice that would pertain to each person but
what was important was starting a conversation and taking 20 minutes to focus
on career development. The group shared with each other what was working
or not working for them and gave each other advice that was specific to their
situation. Several out of the group wrote down tips and went away with
new ideas for landing jobs or moving up from their current
positions. While none of us has all the answers, listening to each
other and learning from others’ successes and failures is certainly a step in
the right direction," says Stephanie Piecewicz of her
experience.
"They have been offered jobs, but
biggest struggle for them is finding one that will coincide with availability
of their childcare options (and there are not a lot of options). They are
on wait-lists for affordable childcare but unfortunately the lists are years
long. Many of them want to return to school and were discussing financial
aid opportunities (FAFSA) and other options to get them there. It was clear
they are taking advantage of every opportunity that comes their way and are
doing their best to make a better life for themselves," says Nicolette
Frink of her experience in the workshops.
Imagine you are in an in-between
moment. We all have them. These are moments between jobs or between apartments.
These moments are stressful. They test us and our relationships with
our families and friends. For many, these moments are only moments. We
have an innate sense of a next step. We have a sense of a safety net, however
strong or tenuous, and understand that no matter what that we can move
forward.
Now imagine an in-between
moment with no next step. Now compound that with an environment
where having a job does not guarantee that you can afford a place to live. Add
a small child whose care makes it difficult for you to obtain a job. Add
an addiction, physical ailment or mental illness. It would be difficult to face
every day.
As volunteers, our
experiences vary immensely. “My first time working one of the instructional sessions for Shelter
Network was intimidating. I couldn’t pretend to be an expert in the topic
that I was assigned, Careers, and wondered how I could possibly make a real
difference to anybody,” says Stephanie. Sometimes we are leading workshops but aren’t so great at
budgeting or time management, and we’re the ones taking notes. Sometimes,
though, we can inspire. Sometimes we know exactly the right advice or the right
venue that could really help a person achieve their dream. Mostly, though,
we’re the ones coming away inspired. “It was very inspiring to see these women who with baby in
hand, living in a shelter, but are not giving up on themselves or their families,”
says Nicolette. “It
almost felt selfish that I am volunteering my time, yet I am the one who leaves
feeling uplifted and inspired. Interesting right?”
