Hospice Volunteer Ensures Patients are Cared For and Loved
Meet Daily Point of Light Award honoree Sarah Mason. Read her story and nominate an outstanding volunteer or family as a Point of Light.
The thought of putting a smile on the faces of Freudenthal Home-Based Healthcare patients is what has inspired volunteer Sarah Mason to spend the past two years dutifully ensuring the hospice care clients are being cared for.
Sarah started volunteering for Freudenthal, which is based in St. Jospeh, Missouri., when her sister Hannah Rehn, the hospice volunteer coordinator, reached out to her in search of more volunteers. Sarah said she knew she wanted to help out immediately. Her grandfather, who had just died, had great hospice care and she wanted to be a part of that type of work.
At the end of each week, Sarah dutifully makes “tuck-in” calls to ten to 20 patients, making sure they have all their medical supplies and other needs for the weekend. If the patients are in need of anything, she helps arrange for those needs to be met.
Sarah, who is wheelchair-bound and experiences chronic pain, said she feels particularly motivated to help others who are homebound and dealing with medical issues, as she knows they must feel lonely.
Sarah Mason, a dedicated volunteer for Freudenthal Home-Based Healthcare, spends time doing her other favorite job, being an aunt./Courtesy Sarah Mason
“I know how it feels, and I know it’s going to put a smile on their face and make them feel loved,” Sarah said of what motivates her service.
Hannah said Sarah takes her work very seriously, and was particularly concerned about homebound patients when the COVID-19 lockdown began in 2020. While Sarah could no longer volunteer in the Freudenthal office due to being high-risk herself, she continued to volunteer from her home each week throughout the pandemic.
“She is an incredibly giving person,” Hannah said of her sister. “She is handicapped herself, so you would think she would be the recipient of things like this, but instead she is the giver. She does it with such a positive and upbeat attitude.”
Sarah said she thinks patients need to hear from someone they don’t normally hear from, who they know wants to check in on them and care for them. While much of the time the calls are quick due to the patients resting, she enjoys when they are able to chat with her so she can give them words of encouragement and brighten their day.
“It’s very important to make relationships with the elderly,” she said. “They’re not just somebody you need to ignore and put off to the side. They want to be talked to and loved on, also.”
Sarah Mason shows off a birthday card she made for a Freudenthal Home-Based Healthcare patient./Courtesy Sarah Mason
Aside from her tuck-in calls, Sarah also helps make birthday cards for patients so they know Freudenthal is thinking about them. For the past two years, she has also helped her sister with socially-distanced Christmas caroling. Volunteers travel directly to the patients’ homes to sing through their windows, which Sarah said the patients love. While this year she was unable to go caroling due to sickness, she still helped her sister coordinate volunteers.
Sarah said she is driven to go the extra mile with her service work and volunteer outside of her tuck-in calls because she knows “it’s going to make [patients] feel loved and thought about, and puts smiles on their faces.”
Sarah thinks that her grandfather, the original inspiration for her service work at Freudenthal, would be “super, super proud” of the work she has done the past couple years. She said her volunteer work has made her a more caring person, who spends more time thinking about others’ feelings and wants to spread cheer.
Teen Volunteer Uses Power of Youth and Innovation to Solve Global Problems
Meet Daily Point of Light Award honoree Neha Shukla. Read her story and nominate an outstanding volunteer or family as a Daily Point of Light.
It was when Neha Shukla’s neighbors started going to the hospital and not returning, says the 17-year-old Harrisburg, Pennsylvanian, that she realized she needed to take action.
Founding SixFeetApart at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Neha is using technology to promote social distancing and slow the spread of COVID. Inventing a wearable device that alerts users when approaching people are within the 6-foot detection range, Neha’s innovative service has impacted more than 50,000 students around the world thus far. Using the power of youth and innovation, Neha is volunteering to solve global problems.
What inspires you to volunteer?
I want to be that positive change in my community. Our world is facing so many problems like COVID, climate change, and inequality. Young people like me can cause this change and create a better world for all future generations. I take it upon myself every day to take action, and inspire others to do the same.
Describe your volunteerism with SixFeetApart.
I noticed a gap of innovation across my peers, so my volunteerism is focused on building the next generation of young innovators and problem solvers. As founder of SixFeetApart, I researched and invented the wearable social distancing device that uses the latest emerging technology including ultrasonic and AI. We’ve impacted more than 50,000 K-12 students across the globe, primarily in the United States but also including outreach in countries like India, Australia and Nigeria. I created the workshop curriculum we offer to students free of cost, host the live workshops, and also mentor our participants. In addition to my volunteerism with SixFeetApart, I founded Innovation for Everyone and am about to publish my debut book titled, “Innovation for Everyone: Solving Real World Problems with STEM.”
Share one personal story with me from your volunteerism.
I was running an innovation workshop for students grades 1 – 3, and teaching them my 3-step innovation process: Identify, innovate and impact. A young girl told me about her plans to tackle ocean pollution, and came up with a real, tangible solution to the problem within that short workshop. That was so amazing to me. If these young students can come up with a solution to a massive global problem like pollution in a short workshop, imagine the power they’d have if they worked on this for years.
Why do you think it’s important for others to give back?
The more you give back, the more the community gives back to you.
What’s been the most rewarding part of your service?
From running workshops and creating innovations myself, to hearing from people locally or from other countries say they’ve been following my work since day one and it’s so amazing to see what we’ve done. All of these messages are so rewarding. If I’m impacting one student or a thousand, it means a lot to me that my journey can inspire lifelong innovation.
In one word, what does volunteering mean to you?
Uplifting. Volunteerism is all about uplifting others and also allowing ideas from others to uplift you as well. I learn as much from these students as they learn from me. It’s a two-way street.
When you’re not busy volunteering or in school, what do you do for fun?
I have a lot of different hobbies. I love to play piano and guitar, spend time with my family. I love 3D printing, reading, exploring new forms of art and just having fun.
Teen’s “Miracle Makers” Service Spreads Blessings and Cheer to Community
Meet Daily Point of Light Award honoree Halle Bevins. Read her story and nominate an outstanding volunteer or family as a Daily Point of Light.
Halle Bevins says her story of service began when as a young child, she witnessed a man digging through a dumpster for food. The now 14-year-old Gilbert, South Carolina resident has committed her volunteerism to serving those in need through small acts of kindness and providing service opportunities for others.
Founding Miracle Makers, the 9th grade student and high school cheerleader is making miracles happen by spreading kindness and cheer on and off the field. Donating food and other items to community Blessings Boxes, shelters and her local children’s hospital, Halle and her Miracle Makers also make cookies and cards for senior citizens and service workers. Helping others and inspiring service throughout her community, Halle is doing her part to change the world through volunteerism.
What inspires you to volunteer?
I’m inspired by the feeling of helping somebody out, especially the hungry, because nobody should have to go hungry.
Describe your volunteerism with Miracle Makers.
As founder of Miracle Makers, I spread kindness and cheer through service. Some of our activities this year include:
I volunteered more than 275 hours and inspired our volunteers to volunteer more than 1,000 hours.
I donated more than 10,000 food items to local food Blessing Boxes and even built a Blessings Box in my hometown.
Making care packages for the homeless and sharing cards and gifts with people including elderly, soldiers, service workers, firefighters and nurses.
What motto guides your volunteerism?
As the founder of Miracle Makers, Halle Bevins is spreading kindness and inspiring service throughout her community./Courtesy Halle Bevins
I believe that sometimes miracles are just good people with kind hearts.
Share one personal story with me from your volunteerism.
When I was 8-years-old, I saw a man digging through the dumpster. I called out to him, and gave him all the food and drinks we had in the car. The man had tears in his eyes and said “God bless you” to us. That really made my day. Reactions like that make me want to do more, because helping someone can bring joy to anybody, including the person giving and the person receiving.
Why do you think it’s important for others to give back?
Kindness is contagious and I believe that people who receive a lot in life should give back to those who don’t have as much.
How have you continued to volunteer throughout the COVID-19 pandemic?
When we visited senior citizens, we had to change how we delivered cookies. We couldn’t hand cookies out, we had to leave them outside by the front door. It was very sad because families couldn’t visit, one day we saw a family member talking to their dad or grandfather and touching hands through the glass. We’ve continued our volunteerism, but still take COVID precautions.
What do you want people to learn from your story?
No matter how old or young you are, or how much you have or don’t have, you can always give back through kindness.
In one word, what does volunteering mean to you?
Kindness.
When you’re not busy volunteering or in school, what do you do for fun?
I’m on the Gilbert High School varsity cheer teams. We were runners-up in our state championship recently.
How can readers help?
Please visit my Facebook page for ideas on how to serve.
New Jersey Kid Protects Environment & Helps Recycle 10k Used Batteries
Meet Daily Point of Light Award honoree Aaditri Gattu. Read her story and nominate an outstanding volunteer or family as a Daily Point of Light.
8-year-old Aaditri Gattu has become a small but mighty expert on the importance of recycling batteries in order to protect the environment, her service extending across more than 500 hours in less than two years.
As a volunteer with Recycle My Battery, the South Brunswick, New Jersey third grade student is helping to facilitate the safe disposal of different types of batteries that if improperly discarded or thrown in the trash, can leach toxic chemicals into the soil and contaminate groundwater. Helping to recycle more than 10,000 used batteries thus far, Aaditri is volunteering to make the earth a better place.
Points of Light spoke with Aaditri and her mother, Rohini, about her volunteerism.
What inspires you to volunteer?
Aaditri: I want to save the earth. Batteries contain poisons that destroy the environment. Toxic material within batteries can be released into the environment and pose serious harm to your health and the environment. I feel happy recycling the batteries.
Rohini: From childhood, Aaditri’s nature has been happy and soft-spoken. It’s also in her nature to help. It’s always, if somebody is in need, how can we help them. I feel very proud of her accomplishments and how she is always thinking to help others.
Describe your volunteerism with Recycle My Battery.
Aaditri is a small but mighty expert on the importance of recycling batteries in order to protect the environment. /Courtesy Aaditri Gattu
Rohini: Aaditri places bins for battery recycling around drop-off sites including schools, libraries, gyms, temples and sports centers. She then collects and organizes the bins to make sure the batteries are shipped and handled properly. She also attends battery drives, and me or my husband are always there to help her. She also gives presentations and explains why recycling is important and what happens to the earth if people don’t recycle batteries. Aaditri recently received the President’s Volunteer Service Award (Gold Medal) from New Jersey Senator Samuel Thompson, and in addition to her volunteerism with Recycle My Battery, Aaditri also serves needy people by providing food, books and money for education and for their health treatment.
Share one personal story with me from your volunteerism.
Aaditri: I created artwork using painted pistachio shells, and use this art in my presentations in schools and surrounding communities to explain the importance of battery recycling. I also created a character named Aarohi…
Rohini: The name is the first two letters from “Aaditri” and four letters from “Rohini”, the combination creates “Aarohi.”
Aaditri: This character encourages awareness and also inspires others to recycle. This is how I encourage other people and get them to be a part of this recycling team.
Why do you think it’s important for others to give back?
Aaditri: If we volunteer, we’re saving the earth.
What’s been the most rewarding part of Aaditri’s service?
Rohini: Whenever she is helping, she does it wholly. She makes sure everything from start to endpoint is finished.
What motto guides your volunteerism?
Aaditri: “A small step always makes a huge difference.” I feel happy about what I’m doing. I’m inspiring and encouraging other kids my age to give back. For example, I tell my sister how to share stuff. Sharing helps to make more friends and they’ll be nice to you too. The same thing with volunteering too.
Aaditri pictured receiving the President’s Volunteer Service Award (Gold Medal) from New Jersey Senator Samuel Thompson./Courtesy Aaditri Gattu
In one word, what does volunteering mean to you?
Aaditri: Helping.
When you’re not busy volunteering or in school, what do you do for fun?
Aaditri: I play with my sister or watch TV. My hobbies include soccer, swimming, gymnastics and the keyboard.
How can readers help?
Please visit the Recycle My Battery website for more information about how you can help.
Tutor Helps Scale Volunteerism During COVID-19 Pandemic
Meet Daily Point of Light Award honoree Catherine McKeever. Read her story and nominate an outstanding volunteer or family as a Daily Point of Light.
Cathy McKeever has been instrumental in helping organizations scale their volunteering efforts, especially throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. The 70-year-old Scottsdale, Arizona native supports elementary and middle school children through Volunteer in Paradise, an organization that provides one-on-one and small group instruction to students. When the pandemic hit, McKeever’s volunteerism went virtual, but her heart for students shines both inside and outside of classrooms.
McKeever recently became a part of the Service Enterprise Program, a Points of Light initiative that helps organizations leverage the skills and expertise of their volunteers to increase their social impact and strengthen communities. With a background in hospitality and business, she was one of the first volunteers to lead program operations at Volunteer in Paradise. Now, she’s headed back to the classroom to continue building legacies of service for the next generation.
Describe how you first discovered Volunteer in Paradise:
After I retired and helped my daughter move, I thought to myself, what am I going to do now? So I actually found Volunteer in Paradise through VolunteerMatch. I knew that I wanted to do something with kids and education, and the organization popped up when I put that in my search criteria. I filled out a volunteer form and contacted them, and the next thing I knew, I was training at Volunteer in Paradise headquarters and went through two training sessions.
I was assigned to help with sixth grade. I was terrified because I remember when my daughter was in sixth grade and it wasn’t that much fun. I went over to the school and talked to the teachers and they said don’t worry, they’re just like third graders but with bigger bodies. They’re really good kids. I really connected with them.
Eventually I volunteered two days a week helping with reading and writing, and I did that for three academic years. Then the COVID-19 pandemic hit and for a while the kids just kind of disappeared. It sort of ripped my heart out because I loved those kids and missed them. But the VIP coordinator and I put together a virtual tutoring program. I participate in that pilot program with first graders at a Title One school. Then the virtual tutoring just kept going and growing.
Can you explain your volunteer role with Volunteer in Paradise and how it has grown?
So I like to keep busy. In addition to tutoring, I helped Volunteer in Paradise with After the Bell, a national program that helps kids and students with reading. We were going to start a new After the Bell program at a new elementary school and I was the ecoordinator for that. I coordinated between teachers and volunteered on which kids would participate and at what times.
I also volunteer with other organizations, like one that supports foster care children and Voices for Casa Children.
Cathy McKeever (third from the left) tutors elementary school students through Volunteer in Paradise, and after three years, spearheaded the organization’s Points of Light Service Enterprise Certificate during the pandemic. /Courtesy Catherine McKeever
Explain why the Service Enterprise Initiative certification has helped you and your volunteer organizations:
Being a part of the certification was kind of a personal point of pride. Three people, including myself, did a majority of the work. It was a big accomplishment and it felt really good.
Organizations are still kind of recovering from the whole shutdown thing in terms of losing volunteers. A lot of retired teachers and grandparents aren’t willing to go back into classrooms because of safety. The Service Enterprise Certification helped us scale, keep the volunteers that we have, and recruit more so that we can hit our goals. If you’ve got a number to chase, you know, you eventually get there.
What inspires you to volunteer?
Connecting with the kids. When we were doing the virtual pilot volunteer program during the summer of 2020, I had a little first grader mentee. She was really behind on reading, but was so determined to improve. We played reading games and on the last virtual day together, I asked her if she wanted to do something else like read a book, and she said she wanted to continue to work on her reading. It was the cutest thing. She took a big breath in, started working, and was really proud of herself. Honestly it doesn’t get much better than that. I was so proud of her.
What have you learned through your experience as a volunteer?
I’ve learned that one person can make a difference. Sometimes the world seems very complicated and I don’t think I can impact it. But now I know I can at least help kids be successful and make a difference in a child’s life. That’s really what I had in mind when I retired. I wanted to give back. The kids all come from different situations, some good and some bad, but it’s nice to give them an adult they can count on every Tuesday and Thursdays. It doesn’t inconvenience me and volunteering is worth it to make a big difference.
What would you want someone to learn from your service story?
I would want them to put themselves out three and give back because I can’t even tell you how good it feels. It just feels good and makes me feel like I’m going to do something positive in the world. This is true especially for people who aren’t working anymore. Anything on any day of the week is going to help.
Are there any partnerships, programs, or events that you are excited about?
I’m going back to school to be in the classroom soon. I’m really just going to keep on keeping on. Eventually I’d like to help out with young women who never thought about college as an option. I was the first one to graduate from college in my family and I know my daughter had an easier time navigating the process because she had someone to support her. I think I’ll ease into it.
Disabled Veteran Pays it Forward to Improve Life for Other Vets
Meet Daily Point of Light Award honoree Aaron Brooks. Read his story and nominate an outstanding volunteer or family as a Daily Point of Light.
After coming home from his deployment to Iraq, Aaron Brooks hit rock bottom.
“I attempted suicide in 2013,” says Aaron. “I was suffering from PTSD and depression. I was completely disabled (because of the attempt,) and in a wheelchair.”
In the wake of that attempt, Aaron says he had no idea what his future looked like. It was when the Fairfax, Virginia resident, a U.S. Army veteran, received a visit from the Wounded Warrior Project (WWP) as he was being treated at a facility for his injuries that Aaron first saw a glimmer of hope for the future.
“(WWP) took it upon themselves to help every veteran that was there, myself included. The day they signed me up, they told me they are trying to improve quality of life for veterans. That resonated with me, considering where I was at that time of my life. It’s amazing to see that change happen, and inspired me to help others do the same.”
Now walking after seven years of dedication and effort, Aaron is helping other veterans figuratively get back on their feet, as a Wounded Warrior volunteer support group leader. Connecting with vets and their families in Northern Virginia, Washington D.C. and Maryland, Aaron has created a strong network in the area, supporting veterans and deepening crucial connections.
Wounded Warrior Project volunteer, Aaron Brooks, pictured with his daughter Kelise./Courtesy Aaron Brooks
“I see myself as a bridge for people who can’t express what they’re going through themselves. I definitely have insight of going down the path I’ve gone through to try to get back to what I was. A lot of people who have my type of traumatic brain injury suffered deficits, and they can’t speak or think for themselves. I was lucky that I didn’t have that. (Through volunteerism,) I can be a voice for the voiceless.”
Using that voice, Aaron’s gentle demeanor helps vets relate to others. Volunteering in conjunction with WWP Alumni teammates, Aaron has built a family through his service, facilitating support groups, social events and other activities designed to offer resources and education to vets in need.
“I first met a veteran named Paul before I was a volunteer. He has PTSD, and during the pandemic, he became really isolated and wouldn’t leave the house for weeks at a time. Connecting him to other warriors with shared similarities helped to get him out of the house, even for lunch for a couple of hours. It got to a point where he started messaging us, asking us when we’d get together next, and he’d do stuff that he wouldn’t normally do. Seeing the impact of having someone to be there as a friend, (I understood that service) really does help.”
Aaron’s dedication is helping veterans adjust to life after military service, says Nolan Speichinger, who served as a Wounded Warrior Project community support specialist for Aaron. Nolan’s assignment, to get the now 39-year-old out into the community and attend peer support group meetings before Aaron became a WWP leader himself. According to Nolan, Aaron’s passion for helping other vets has resulted in tangible results, for example, recently connecting veterans with service dogs through Warrior Canine Connection, traveling to Maine with another Warrior for a veterans retreat and organizing the largest number of participants in the country for WWP’s Independence Program.
“Aaron’s impact has helped him deal with the new normal,” says Nolan. “His work as a WWP alumni helped him heal, but he’s been able to assist others in healing as well. He’s had issues in the past but by receiving assistance from others, he’s been able to move on to the future. He’s built confidence as a community leader, and his enthusiasm and passion has trickled down to other members. He’s been really good at making a lot of connections throughout the community and then plugging other people into it.”
As a Wounded Warrior volunteer support group leader, Aaron is supporting veterans and deepening crucial connections./Courtesy Aaron Brooks
Aaron says his service mission echoes the Army motto drilled into his head many years ago, a motto born from tragedy, encouraging resilience.
“Each company has their own motto. Ours is, ‘Always forward.’ It was always a response to our drill sergeant for everything. The motto itself came from the first strike in Afghanistan after 9/11. The motto means always pushing forward, no matter what’s going on around you, just always pushing forward.”
That drive continues to push Aaron as he unites veterans in his community towards a brighter future. Aaron’s message to others looking to contribute is one of perseverance, even in the face of uncertainty.
“One of the first volunteer opportunities I did, I helped to feed the hungry. This was at a point where I was just learning to walk again, and I wasn’t even sure I could help to feed them properly. I went there anyway and was able to do a lot more than I thought I could. That just made me realize that even though I had a lot of deficiencies, I could overcome them and help people. My volunteerism really just took off from that moment.”
Volunteer Helps Raise Thousands of Dollars for Local Libraries
Meet Daily Point of Light Award honoree Larry Leighton. Read his story and nominate an outstanding volunteer or family as a Point of Light.
After retiring two decades ago, Larry Leighton searched for a volunteer opportunity that would allow him to spend his newfound free time helping to serve his Johnson County, Kansas community. Eight years ago, he found the perfect match with Friends of the Johnson County Library. As a volunteer, Larry helps the nonprofit to sell books that have been taken off the shelves at the numerous libraries in the Johnson County library system. The funds are then used to help support the libraries.
Larry dutifully serves Friends of the Johnson County Library six days a week, putting in almost 40 hours each week. When the volunteer who helped originally start the program retired earlier this year, Larry stepped up to put in extra work while the nonprofit looked for a replacement. Thanks in part to Larry’s dedicated service, the nonprofit has raised over $200,000 so far this year.
Describe your volunteer role with Friends of the Johnson County Library.
We take books that have been donated and books that have been taken off the shelves of the libraries, and we check them to see if they have any value. If they have any value, we list them on the internet for sale to raise money for the library.
What do you enjoy about volunteering in this way?
Larry Leighton takes a break from fundraising with Friends of the Johnson County Library to attend a fundraiser for a local theater with his wife Paula./Courtesy Larry Leighton
Basically, it gets me out of the house, lets my wife has some space, and gives me something to do. I feel like the Johnston County Libraries need our support. Libraries are a valuable asset to the community. I like doing that. I wouldn’t want to do volunteer work where I have to interact with a lot of different people, because I’m kind of an introvert. This gives me the opportunity to work by myself and yet feel like I’m making a contribution.
How were you able to help online book sales increase?
I’m putting in so many hours. I put in almost 40 hours a week. One of the employees who I worked with retired, so they’ve been trying to fill the position. They finally found somebody who is going to start at the end of this month to fill that position. I’ve been doing my original volunteer work, plus I was doing what the employee did originally, probably for the last six months. … I wanted to keep the thing going until they found a replacement for him. I just like having the activity.
Do you think you’ve gained a greater appreciation for books since volunteering in this way?
Yes, absolutely. I’m amazed at the books that people buy in a lot of ways. I haven’t heard of a book, and we might have a dozen of that book that came out of one of the libraries, and it just flies off the shelves. They’re sold almost immediately online. It’s books I’ve never heard of. It’s interesting, in that way, to see what people are willing to buy from us.
What’s been the most rewarding part of your work?
We’ve sold over $200,000 online so far this year and most of that goes to the library, and feeling like I’m doing something worthwhile instead of sitting around.
Larry Leighton works to post books for sale online to help raise money for the libraries in Johnson County, Kansas./Courtesy Larry Leighton
Why do you think it’s important for others to give back?
I think it’s important for people to contribute some way. There’s a lot of people who can’t because of their workload, and there’s children at home, and one thing after another. But people like myself who have nothing else to do, I think it’s healthy for the person and it’s healthy for the community.
What do you want people to learn from your story?
Particularly if you’re retired and you’re healthy, just get out there and do something. Being active helps keep your brain healthy and it keeps your body healthy.
Family’s ‘Others Before Self’ Service Sustains Hungry Bodies and Minds in Georgia Community
Meet Daily Point of Light Award honorees the Ryan Family. Read their story and nominate an outstanding volunteer or family as a Daily Point of Light.
Theirs is a story of togetherness and faith, service to others in need that began soon after Tracy and Shawn Ryan married.
“We started with just the two of us when we were first married,” says Tracy, “and we just kept going. God kept allowing us resources to make meals, and as children kept coming, we kept going.”
That drive has powered the Ryan family’s commitment to their community through more than twelve years and four children as they volunteer with SafeHouse Outreach, an organization that helps people experiencing homelessness transition from the streets to self-sufficiency. The Atlanta, Georgia family now six strong serves hot meals with dignity through SafeHouse’s IMPACT Meals, as their volunteerism is guided by the motto “others before self.”
“We claimed one particular night a week (to provide meals) with another family,” says Shawn. “Tracy, the executive chef, was sometimes cooking more than 200 meals on a Monday. We say Caleb was there one week before birth and then again as a three-week old. We never missed a month. Our children have grown up serving.”
The Ryan children, eldest Caleb (12), Asher (10), Alden (7) and Micah, who just turned 4, have been raised with the understanding that volunteerism is “just something you do,” says Shawn. On average, SafeHouse serves more than 80,000 plates each year, the Ryan family operation contributing thousands of creative and economical meals over the years to that total, even little Micah passing out drinks to hungry community members at SafeHouse.
Caleb, Alden and Asher./Courtesy the Ryan Family
“These are people just like you and me,” says Shawn. “People we most often drive by and ignore, or look the other way when we pull up alongside them in a car. Instead, we are now just stopping, saying hi, calling them by name. They’re folks just like you and me. Their circumstances are extremely different for sure. But people are still people and people need to be loved.”
Cooking meals for the hungry and those experiencing homelessness in their home kitchen, the family makes everything from Shepherd’s Pie to chili, but Tracy says meatball subs are a favorite of the diners they serve. It’s the meals, accompanied by worship services with organizations like City Takers, wisdom teachings, live music, game nights and other activities that are not just satiating a tremendous number of hungry neighbors, but also uniting their community through kindness, says Caleb, who has joined his family in hosting drives, cooking and serving meals and other outreach events.
“(Volunteerism) allows me to meet new people,” Caleb says. “We pray with people, serve them, make new friends and do a lot of community service for people out there on the streets that don’t have a job. We got a washer and dryer through a Ten Thousand Reasons grant, and that impacted people because every time I got outside, people didn’t have clean clothes. Now I can go out and see (them wearing) clean clothes. It makes me feel really good knowing there are people out there with cleaner clothes.”
In addition to benefiting the community, their impact has helped to strengthen the Ryan family bond and development according to Tracy, who says the outreach helps her children step out of their bubble and learn about others who aren’t as fortunate. Caleb’s younger siblings have their own unique perspectives on service. For Asher, volunteerism is about impacting his community. According to Alden, service is a fun activity full of appreciation and helping those less fortunate. And even Micah enthusiastically reports how he helps his “friends” at SafeHouse. That interaction, says Tami Ballauf, a SafeHouse volunteer and board member, offers a level of comfort and outreach that is transformative for the individuals the Ryan family is serving.
The Ryan Family pictured with a group from City Takers, an organization that is involved in ministry at SafeHouse Outreach./Courtesy the Ryan Family
“The level of compassion they show together as a family is not usually seen, even in our type of outreach, and it gives people dignity and value, something they don’t usually receive,” says Tami. “The people we serve at SafeHouse, people don’t usually look them in the eye, ask their name or touch them. The Ryan family just loves people without judgement. They’re very kind and approachable. With the kids being so present and active there’s a level of trust that gets built for the whole team. It breaks down some of the walls people have. Sometimes, people are very hardened by their way of life. The kids melt that away.”
SafeHouse is open for any individual, team, church, business or organization that is looking to host a meal, and was dependent upon support during the COVID-19 pandemic, a challenge Tracy calls humbling. The Ryan family increased their service in response to the great need in their area. What had been sit-down dinners evolved into guests social distancing in a line that extended for blocks, just for a take-out meal. Throughout the uncertainties of the last two years, what’s remained constant is the Ryan family’s dedication to service, efforts Shawn says he sees paying off in the lives of those they’ve connected with.
“We served food all the way through a career development program, and one guy we’d served who was living off the street came back and told me he’d just had his first paid vacation. It’s the little stuff we take for granted. What Alden said about people saying thank you, we’ve been there with the littlest of kids, and the people are just grateful. The smiles the kids bring them bring smiles back.”
Volunteer With a Heart for Kids Strengthens Diaper Distribution
Meet Daily Point of Light Award honoree Janet Ford. Read her story and nominate an outstanding volunteer or family as a Daily Point of Light.
Janet Ford retired from her corporate job in 2017, and she knew that she couldn’t sit still. The 71-year-old Lenexa, Kansas, native immediately began giving her time to causes that helped children. As a HappyBottoms volunteer, she’s given more than 100 hours to help families in need receive diapers for their children.
Ford started out, and continues to, volunteer in the HappyBottoms warehouse wrapping diapers, but she’s grown to be essential to other areas of the organization. She fundraises, volunteers with direct distribution, delivers diapers to homes, and leads diaper-wrapping events at businesses. Whatever role she volunteers in, Ford is an inspiration for anyone who is waiting to volunteer and sees volunteerism as a humbling equalizer that brings people together for a common purpose.
Describe how you first discovered HappyBottoms:
I retired in August of 2017 and I travelled extensively with my job so it was really important to me to find something active to do. Sitting at home was not going to be an option for me.
I started with a children’s center for the visually impaired and I volunteered there for about two years. One of the ladies I volunteered with left and went to work at HappyBottoms. She knew that I was looking for a volunteer activity closer to home and she called me to ask if I wanted to come and volunteer. I started at HappyBottoms at the end of 2018.
Can you explain your volunteer role with HappyBottoms and how it has grown?
I started out in what most other volunteers do — wrapping diapers in the warehouse. HappyBottoms gets diapers delivered to their warehouse through monetary donations and the organization then purchases diapers. All of the volunteers come into the warehouse and we have to wrap them in groups of 25 to hand out to people.
In doing that, other opportunities came up. They have another organizational arm that does home delivery of diapers for people who don’t have transportation, especially new moms that are home with their babies and don’t have a way to leave the house. I picked up a few home delivery shifts and after I did that for a while, they asked me if I was interested in something else because HappyBottoms knew I liked variety. While I was still wrapping diapers, I also started helping direct distribution from the warehouse where people drive up and volunteers hand supplies to them directly once a month.
I also have been a part of a new program that involves businesses — I was missing the corporate world, so I started going out to businesses and they gave us money to buy diapers and we brought them with us. We show their staff how to wrap diapers and they have a lot of fun and we have a lot of fun. We bring back hundreds of diapers that are ready for babies and businesses get teambuilding and giving opportunities.
I was also a part of their committee for their big fundraiser this year. My role was to work on silent auction items and I reached out to the community for donations. It was fun and it was my first year doing that. I put my hands in whatever I can.
What inspires you to volunteer?
As a volunteer with HappyBottoms, Janet supports funraising, diaper distribution and more./Courtesy Janet Ford
You know I’ve always loved kids. I worked in the insurance industry and I was in management and I traveled extensively. I graduated in elementary education, but life happened and I needed more money so I changed professions. I’ve never lost that love of working with kids. That’s what got me to my first place of volunteering.
Volunteering is near and dear to my heart because over the years I’ve always been a person to help people, it’s just my nature. This kind of got me back into helping kids. This year what’s making it even more exciting is that I have my first grandchild and seeing how many diapers they go through.
It’s sad that people can’t afford diapers and have to watch their kids sit in dirty diapers. Diapers are not covered by any government assistant program, so without places like HappyBottoms people in need wouldn’t have diapers. I think it’s an underserved and misunderstood issue.
What have you learned through your experience as a volunteer?
I’m doing something totally different than what I’ve done in my life so far. I did a diaper wrap last night with my friends and one of the ladies works in a warehouse situation and I told her that this has been really eye opening to me — this physical work and how tiring it is — and it’s given me a new understanding of physical labor since I had a corporate job.
I also love seeing all of the different types of people and personalities come together. We recently had junior high school students come and get volunteer hours, and seeing them volunteering at a young age was inspiring. We should have made time to volunteer when my daughter was young.
You learn a lot about other people through volunteering. It’s so eye opening that people come together with a common cause with totally different backgrounds.
What would you want someone to learn from your service story?
We spend so much of our lives thinking about ourselves and our families. It natural. You have kids and your busy life happens, but people need to sit back and think about spending money and time differently. We can start and slow down to think about helping somebody else. You can then get such a different outlook on life and more appreciation when you think about others who don’t have enough money for food.
And the feeling volunteering gives you — you realize that there’s such a big world out there and you’re such a small part of it. Our world needs volunteers and more care for each other right now. We need to get back to thinking about how we can help everybody. We’re all equal, and volunteering humbles you.
I would really encourage people who are nervous of putting themselves out there to volunteer. Even if it’s an hour or one day a week — whatever little you have can go so far.
Are there any partnerships, programs, or events that you are excited about?
I’m doing my own fundraiser for the holidays. I’m reaching out to friends and family to donate diapers to HappyBottoms. I’m currently trying to fill my garage with diapers.
HappyBottoms is hosting a Giving Tuesday fundraiser on Nov. 30 and a lot of nonprofits use the day to raise money and awareness. It’s something I always participate in through a monetary standpoint and this year I’ll do the same.
