Volunteer Role
Adoptive grandmother at the Catholic Charities Northside Child Development Center
How do I choose to volunteer in this field
In Africa [Monrovia, capital city of the West African country Liberia], also in daycare, I also work in daycare. So I like children.
The most rewarding aspect of volunteering
When I’m home, there’s no one to talk to, I just think about what I saw in the war [in Liberia]. Dead bodies of people lying there. Those are my memories. So when I came to daycare, I loved being with the kids. I see my children in children. So, I love it. I came here to play with the kids. When children play with me, I am very happy. They call me Grandma. “Grandma” makes me happy. It makes me feel good. So, the program is good because it makes me feel comfortable. I will think no more, no more. Not while I’m here. I love children. I really like to play with children, it gives me pleasure. When they saw me they ran, “Grandma, Grandma, Grandma!”
Volunteer Role
Instructor and development committee member since October 2022 with FreeWriters, which offers creative writing opportunities to inmates in regional prison systems to improve mental health, reduce recidivism, and inspire hope about life after incarceration.
How do I choose to volunteer in this field
I love to write and I am an essay writer and blogger. One of my adult sons has battled a lifelong drug addiction and has been in and out of jail. He always does better when he writes or journals. Volunteering for FreeWriters is a way to identify with her and do something that I know will make a difference to people like her.
The most rewarding aspect of volunteering
I have limited finances so I can’t donate much, but I do have a lot of free time. I love knowing the creative, intelligent, and caring people involved with FreeWriters. They enrich my life, push me to be my best self and remind me how full the world is with good people! Being in prison with women locked up, hearing their stories from their writings and giving them the respect to listen has softened my heart and expanded my empathy. I felt a closeness to my drug-addicted son in prison when I interacted with the inmate writer.
Join the Volunteer Challenge on Facebook
Throughout March, The Star Tribune will explore the various elements of volunteerism, from how finding opportunities that work for you to how helping others can backfire and make your life better. And every Saturday, we’ll throw in a challenge for an action you can take. Join this group to share details of your trip and help motivate each other.
Join here
Volunteer Role
Citizen advocate and lobbyist for Restore the Vote (a state law passed this month restoring voting rights to those convicted of crimes but out of jail) testifies before the Legislature on criminal justice reform, leads free training in using naloxone (a treatment emergency aid for opioid overdose) for law enforcement officials and other groups.
How do I choose to volunteer in this field
I spent five years in prison on drug charges and was recovering, then three family members died of opioid related causes. While earning an associate degree in addiction counseling, I became interested in overdose prevention and criminal justice reform.
The most rewarding aspect of volunteering
I participated in phone banking and thought, this is the coolest thing I’ve ever done. I don’t know anyone out there who is so passionate about a cause or problem that they are willing to call a random person to say, “Hey, have you heard of Restore Sound? Would you be willing to reach out to your office of choice?” A big part of my recovery journey is serving. People help me when I can’t help myself, so whatever looks like it to me, I need to do it.
Volunteer Role
The outreach director for Student Ministries, a branch of the Bethel Student Government, plans events on campus and in the community, including leading student groups to distribute food and supplies and praying and conversing with the homeless in Minneapolis.
How do I choose to volunteer in this field
I heard about the Bethel Student Ministry program and thought that was really cool. … Having taken on this role as director, I really knew there were lots of people on our campus who wanted to help this community, so I started looking for ways to make that happen.
The most rewarding aspect of volunteering
I can’t stress enough that neither of us did [students] ever standing there feeling complete, or knowing what we’re going to say, or knowing what we’re getting into. But we firmly believe that we were called by God to do this, and he equipped us with what we need. For us as Christians, we go out in hopes of spreading the good news, changing hearts and brightening people’s days. But our hearts are changed people too.
