Our primary goal with our BE IN Lincoln page is connecting you with the community. Volunteering is a large part of that connectedness. We are pleased to introduce Cherisa. Cherisa is a regular volunteer. What makes her extra special is that when she volunteers, she takes others with her. Cherisa includes her family and friends and does a great job at both. Family is at the core of who we are. Cherisa helps us mix Family and Community. We hope that you will be as inspired and encouraged by her as we are.
Growing up in a large family, there was never much money for anything in addition to the necessities. My mom taught me from an early age that one of the greatest gifts you can give is your time. During my childhood and youth, we volunteered in soup kitchens on Thanksgiving, put small gifts on the doorsteps of the elderly for the ten days of Christmas, and tied quilts for the homeless.
All grown up now, with two small children of my own, how do I continue this legacy? My six year old has more toys that my five sisters and I had combined. She is oblivious to poverty and is sometimes downright ungrateful for her possessions. We are not connected to a church or a specific cause that organizes volunteer events. It was clear that I would need to reach out to my community and discover volunteer opportunities on my own.
Living in Lincoln for most of my life, I have been fortunate to have a large, close-knit group of friends who are a lot like me. In sharing my frustrations about our children not being cognizant of the blessings in their life, my friends were also looking for a way to expose their children to helping those less fortunate.
Get Connected
As part of my desire to become more connected to the community, I asked to be on the mailing list for the Center for People in Need. The Center for People in Need is an amazing organization who assists thousands of families in poverty to meet their basic needs. I received an email that volunteers were needed to help with their Toyland for Kids Christmas event. I contacted the Volunteer Coordinator, Kristi to make sure that I could bring my six year old to volunteer with me. She stated that she could as long as I supervised her.
Get Others Connected
I knew some of my friends may be interested in volunteering, so I emailed the volunteer flier to my friends asking if they wanted to participate in the event. I also posted the event on Facebook.
Preparing for the Event
I wanted my daughter to be informed of what she may be doing and what she may encounter. We discussed if she saw a parent of a child at her school, the importance of confidentiality. We talked about how not all jobs are fun ,but they are necessary to achieve the larger goal. I encouraged questions and engaged her in critical thinking about how our efforts contribute to helping families in need experience a rewarding holiday season. I also made sure my friends knew where to park, where to meet and the type of work they may perform.
The day prior to the event, I sent out a reminder text to my friends. In the car, I reiterated basic ground rules with my daughter–staying by my side at all times, being respectful by not asking questions that may be offensive to others and to be polite at all times.
Tune in next time…(I always wanted to say that) when Cherisa talks about Finding Meaning in the Event. She’ll discuss what they experienced, how it felt and what it meant to those who volunteered.
