Autumn signed up to help with childcare at Serenity Place, but I emailed her before hand to let her know that I often get emails from volunteers saying something along the lines of, "The children are so adorable and fun, but I connected with the mothers more than I expected. They told me all about their story and I just felt like I needed to be a listening ear for them."
Autumn's email this morning echoed those sentiments, but she phrased it in a different way. She wrote, "I did end up talking to moms more than I babysat, as you said. When I left, I mentioned to Sarah (a staff member) that I felt as if I didn't actually do a lot..."
I loved this. I strive to make a distinction in my own life between doing and being. In our culture, there is so much emphasis on doing and productivity. Sometimes we forget to be. It's equally important to just be present.
Our mothers and children at Serenity Place have been through a lot. They have experienced a lot of abuse and neglect and the moms and children alike need to feel loved and feel like someone cares about them. They need someone to be present and just listen.
I'm often surprised when volunteers tell me that the mothers converse so much, because the women spend about 50 hours a week in intensive counseling. They talk a lot. To me, it says a lot about our quality of volunteers if the mothers choose to talk to them even after all of that.
So whether you're interested in doing or being, come spend some time with us!
Call Kelly at 467.3944 to learn more about volunteering with The Family Effect.
