Volunteer of the Month
May 4, 2020
Property: Wheeler Manor
Why did you choose to volunteer with Eden Housing?
I was lucky enough to be able to set aside some time to volunteer at Wheelor Manor in Gilroy after Eden’s Resident Services Team reached out for support. I already volunteer at a food bank outside of work, and providing community members with their basic nutritional needs is very important to me.
What have you done as a volunteer? Please describe your role and what you have worked on.
As staff support, I was partnered with other volunteers to distribute food to the residents at Wheeler Manor.
What have you learned through your volunteer experience? Have there been any surprises?
I learned that there are people out there with higher risks than me, who are still willing to volunteer and provide others with basic needs. Even with all the negative energy (fear, anxiety, uncertainty, stress) out in the world, we can still come together as community members and help each other out.
Are there any tips that you would share for someone else who is considering volunteering?
I would encourage others to focus on the WHY. Personally, I did struggle a bit with whether or not to volunteer (assessing the risks of exposure, for example) but then I remembered there are other people who had made the choice to volunteer, and my WHY was to commit to a very important value of mine – that in order for people to do great things, the basic needs must be met first. Every person’s WHY is different, but if you hold true to that, you can make the best decision for you, every time.
Tell us something we may not know about you. Any interesting facts you’d like to share about your life?
I speak Romanian! Lol. No seriously….Eu verbesc Limba Romana!