Every year, Family Promise works with amazing volunteers across the nation, reaching 200,000 volunteers in 2019 alone. We asked our Facebook and LinkedIn followers to share their favorite memories of volunteering with Family Promise. Here are some of the responses:
- “The overnight shift at my church. A young mother was released from the hospital that afternoon after giving birth to her son. There was a divider set up for her privacy. I awoke in the middle of the night on the other side of the divider to hear her singing softly to her son. I will never forget the sweetness and love in her voice. I could only imagine the fear she must have been feeling as it was her first night in the program. But in that moment, all I could feel was her love for her baby. It was holy.” – Diane Schaard Casey
- “Carving pumpkins and taking the kids trick or treating!” – Alison Bird Whitney
- “Doing an overnight shift is normally pretty quiet and boring, but the three teen girls we were hosting burst out into an impromptu dance party! We put on music and the parents and volunteers were fist-pumping. They looked synchronized–everyone was in the moment of joy” – Jill Segulin
- “Our church was hosting on the Sunday of Super Bowl XXXVI in 2002. One problem, we had no cable service. So I ran out and purchased an antenna. Fortunately, we had a TV (hooked up to a VCR) for Sunday school. I managed to get enough signal to be able to watch the game by putting the antenna halfway up on the roof. It was the Super Bowl just after 9/11 so the halftime show was extra special AND it turns out this was Tom Brady’s first Super Bowl win. The only guest who watched it with me was David – I still remember him well!” – Chuck Payette
- “Being on the Steering Committee for Somerset County, NJ–when the church I belonged to agreed to be a host congregation–which meant that we could finally begin accepting guests. So many more wonderful memories but that was the start” – Leslie Finnegan
- “Helping create a happy place at the Las Vegas old house with [my synagogue] for the kids. And then again with my son, the kitchen there as well. Just knowing the families, especially the kids could look to a brighter future through our art.” – Elaine Joy Reininger
- “As a van driver, I had a heart to heart conversation with a young father who was displaced.” – Tim Borek
- “National Muffin Day 2019! But also 2018, 2016, 2020, and 2017. And 2015.” – Jacob Kaufman
- “Having my 2 young sons volunteer with me!” – Kristyan Perez
- “Cardboard Box City!” – Christopher Campos
What is your favorite Family Promise volunteer memory? Share it, along with this post, on social media!
