Volunteer of the Month

Volunteer of the Month

April 1, 2020

Why did you choose to volunteer with Eden Housing?

I was introduced to it by a former colleague and friend, Alison Shirley. She was one your volunteer of the year recipient last year. She moved out of state but I wanted to keep the partnership going with Eden Housing. I truly believe that Financial education and fraud awareness for the elderly population is extremely important, especially for the low-income seniors.

What have you done as a volunteer?  Please describe your role and what you have worked on.

Every single volunteer event with Eden Housing has been fun and a learning experience. I’ve learned about teamwork and collaboration, public speaking and most importantly learning to listen. I was surprised by how many Eden Housing locations there are to be honest.

What have you learned through your volunteer experience?  Have there been any surprises?

Volunteering is not just number of hours you are trying to fill for your company’s CRA goal. It’s more than that. It’s about giving back to the community and sharing your skills and knowledge. We all have specific professional and/or personal set of skills. Why not share them with others to benefit the community. Don’t be afraid to take on new volunteer challenges. You will learn new practical skills, gain hands-on experience and explore one’s passion.

What do you like best about volunteering with Eden Housing?

I love the staff at all of the Eden Housing locations that we have volunteered so far. Leah Cerri and Alyssa Santos are especially amazing. We love the interaction with all of the seniors and love the joy a simple game of Bingo brings to them.  We also love how they help each other during the Bingo participation. It’s a lot different than the huge bingo events that I’ve witnessed at various casinos, where it is “you against the world”. I enjoy traveling so I’m glad that Alyssa provides so many locations and opportunities for us to organize our Bingo events.

Are there any tips that you would share for someone else who is considering volunteering?

Volunteering is not just number of hours you are trying to fill for your company’s CRA goal. It’s more than that. It’s about giving back to the community and sharing your skills and knowledge. We all have specific professional and/or personal set of skills. Why not share them with others to benefit the community. Don’t be afraid to take on new volunteer challenges. You will learn new practical skills, gain hands-on experience and explore one’s passion. 

Tell us something we may not know about you. Any interesting facts you’d like to share about your life?

In the summers of 1986 and 1987, I volunteered to build houses in Costa Rica with Amy Carter, former president Jimmy Carter’s daughter. As part of AmeriCorps and Habitat for Humanity, we also taught personal hygiene to children and mothers and  raised awareness of HIV and AIDS prevention, care and treatment. This year I was going to participate in the AIDS LifeCycle Bike ride. It is a fully supported seven day bike ride from San Francisco to Los Angeles. A total of 545 miles bike ride to raise money to reduce new HIV infections and improve quality of life for people living with HIV/AIDS. Due to COVID-19 virus concerns, it was cancelled, but now will take place in June 2021. I have re-registered so my training will not be halted and also will continue to raise money for this great cause.