Time and Talents
This year, we recognize these fine volunteers for sharing their time and talents with the Family House!
Roy Johnson
While the SECU Family House only charges $35/night for guests to stay, we need to keep up the appearances of a 5-star hotel. Roy’s help every week making sure the kitchen is clean and organized is much more important than it sounds. His work ethic leads him to not only complete his tasks, but he always takes the initiative to take it a step further. For example, he doesn’t just wipe down the counters and the toaster ovens in the kitchen, but he cleans under them, and all but disassembles them to get every unseen nook and cranny deep cleaned. He doesn’t just sweep the dining room – he puts the chairs on the tables, slides the tables to the side, and replaces the pads missing on the chair legs. He really goes above and beyond.
Roy has a huge heart, and it shows with his interactions with guests. He personally connects with the families he encounters in the kitchen or dining room. They easily open up and share their story with him, which only fuels his dedication to his work at the Family House.
About a year into his volunteer service, we knew that he would be a strong and effective board member. His dual service as a house volunteers only strengthens his effectiveness as a board member. He shares stories from his guest interactions with other board members to help them understand our mission better. Not only does he actively participate, his preparation for board and finance committee meetings is exemplary. He uses his background in business and finance to ask smart questions and problem solve. Thank you Roy!
Wednesday Wonder Women
If you think it takes time to clean your kitchen, just imagine what it takes to clean a kitchen that 45 families can use on a daily basis! The Wednesday Wonders take the time to make the kitchen functional, clean, and inviting for guests who don’t have the time or energy to think of such things. Guests in medical crisis need to feel at home and be stress and clutter free. These ladies make sure families get that feeling when they walk into the kitchen.
The Wednesday Women also took on organization as a project over the past year. They created a label system in the refrigerator, drafted signage for guests to see, and purged the back pantry of old and dated food. These projects have been implemented and maintained by them and other volunteers ever since.
In addition, the ladies have helped organize a successful fundraising event. Their work heading up decorations provided the event with cost-effective beauty and their work in creating the individual sponsorship level helped raise almost $10,000 that organizers didn’t initially expect.
From left to right: Lynn Dixson, Ginger Hauser, Martha Wall, and Janie Dean (second from right) attend an event together with fellow volunteers.