Author: M

Can small things make a difference? Well, that was the experiment a group of twenty of us volunteers carried out at Hope Village on Saturday, July 22nd. Hope Village is dedicated to providing superior yet affordable residential and support services to children and adults with mental disabilities. We laughed, played games and danced with the residents. We shared food and heart-felt conversations with them. At the end of the day, we realized that we definitely made a difference in our own lives. Though I can’t even fully begin to understand the impact it is having on my own life, here’s a few stories from my experience volunteering at Hope Village:

I was sitting next to Kirk, one of the residents at Hope Village, while playing bingo. I was the very first person to have a bingo, so everyone was very excited at my table and looking forward to winning prizes that we had brought for them. We cheered for each other and had a lot of fun being together. The residents delighted in posing for a picture when they won a prize. Time went by so fast and so did the prizes. Sensing Kirk’s anxiousness who was only one number away from a bingo in pretty much all directions, I suggested that he could just go get a prize. He simply said, “I don’t want to be unfair,” and went back to cheering for others. His response left me shaken. Encountering such integrity and commitment to truth has left a mark on my consciousness, and I know my life will never be the same.

No doubt all of us volunteers’ lives have been affected in one way or another. One thing we were all touched by, though, was the genuine care and concern the residents had for each other. When someone couldn’t hear or follow the instructions while playing bingo or other games, their neighbors took delight in helping them. When one resident fell down while dancing, there or four others rushed to help her get up and make sure she was okay. They really looked after each other, which one would expect to be natural because they live together and have known each other for years. However, when one resident noticed a band-aid on one of my fingers did I realize that their care and concern expanded well beyond their circle of friends. He just grabbed by hand and wanted to know what had happened to my finger. He started asking me when and how I had cut myself and whether or not it hurt. He felt relieved and smiled when I told him that it doesn’t hurt at all. Though the stain of blood from my finger got washed away, I’ve been tainted by love I felt among volunteers and residents at Hope Village.

See pictures from Hope Village: http://www.bethecause.org/gallery/Hope-Village

Other volunteers’ reflections:

Dushyant:

I was a bit tentative on what to expect, but barely a minute after arriving, I got my first lesson of the day – one among many, I hope, I never forget. I introduced myself and was going around the table asking everybody’s name and finally came around to Rex, who had been very silent and looked unreachable, or so I presumed, naively. But as soon as I approached him, his demeanor underwent a sudden transformation, as if a switch had been activated, and he spontaneously reached out and gave a big kiss on my cheek. Wow! It hit me like – “small talk is nice, but here’s something more personal and earnest”. It was wonderful and still makes me smile when I think about it.

Later, when it was time to leave, one of the residents thanked us for visiting. What can you say to that? These 2 incidents paraphrase what I saw at Hope-Village. Fearlessness, kindness, gratefulness. And having fun :) I feel humbled and privileged to have been a part of this beautiful learning experience.

Elham:

Today was an awesome day and it would not have been the same if it was not for the enthusiasm, energy, love, and passion of each and everyone of you [volunteers]. I have been so energetic and happy today. I cannot say enough how much I enjoyed our event. Thank you so much for everything.

Sumana:

It was indeed a wonderful experience for all of us. I can’t stop sharing what I experienced yesterday with all my friends. I realized that many of us here are so engrossed in our own lives that we don’t seem to find time for others at all. And when we do take the initiative to do little things for them, it is extremely rewarding. I agree with you that the most impressive aspect of it all was the care that the residents had for each other. Also, they were so uninhibited in everything they did, be it expressing themselves or doing what they liked. Thank you so much for this opportunity. In all, I had a very nice time and would love to do it again.

Christmas caroling at the Houston Hospice was definitely one of the most beautiful volunteer experiences I’ve ever had. The Houston Hospice is an in-patients unit where patients are brought in because they are very sick. Most of the patients who are there usually last only a few days to a few weeks at most. Every time I go there to spend time with patients, I never know if I would see that same patient again next week. Knowing how precious each moment is for these patients, I try to make the most of each visit, each moment I have with them. Especially during the holiday season when they are desperately craving the warmth and comfort of being home with friends and family just like the rest of us, Christmas caroling was a small attempt to bring the joy and spirit of Christmas right where they were.

Caroling event wouldn’t have been possible without the help of my good friend Angela’s mother, Mrs. McCall, who brought her husband and her friends to sing for the patients at the Hospice. They all had beautiful voices; one of them even played the piano while the another friend accompanied the singing of familiar songs with his guitar. Within moment of starting the singing, the family members of the patients came out in the hallway to join us. Even the Hospice staff and patients sang along with us. At first when the doors started to open, I thought they were coming out to let us know that we were being too loud, but it turned out that they actually wanted to request us to sing their favorite song. Someone requested us to sing Silent Night while others started to clap and dance as the entire atmosphere was being filled with the spirit of Christmas. Seeing everyone with a big smile on their face, I couldn’t stop thinking of “Bootsie,” the patients on the second floor whom I had visited earlier.

I asked our group to stop by the room of Bootsie as she was lovingly called by everyone in her family, including her thirteen grandchildren. When I was with her earlier, I remembered how anxious she felt thinking that she may not get to go home for Christmas because she may not be around for that long. I told her that Christmas was just around the corner and that I had a surprise for her that would hopefully cheer her up. Sure enough, she lightened up as soon as we approached her room to sing for her. She sang along with us and said she enjoyed every minute of it, and so did we. Caroling was a wonderful way of reaching out to uplift someone’s spirit through beautiful songs that helped get us all in the spirit of Christmas.