Why I Volunteer: Linda Walker and Stacy McIntyre

January 14, 2020

Family Promise is a family affair for Linda Walker and her daughter, Stacy McIntyre.

Linda got involved with Family Promise’s flagship emergency shelter program in Union County, NJ, 30 years ago. From the beginning, she appreciated how each family’s unique needs were addressed.

“Family Promise is willing to listen to families,” she says. “There’s no one answer that fits everyone.”

Linda Walker and Family

Linda and Stacy volunteer with their family.

A mother of two young children back then, Linda would bring her family to volunteer. She appreciated the opportunity for them to make a difference together.

“Family Promise helps people of all ages understand they can have an impact,” she notes.

In fact, Family Promise made such a strong impression on Linda’s daughter Stacy in her youth that she’s now a volunteer and part-time coordinator at Family Promise of Greater Indianapolis and volunteers with her own children. As her own mother did, Stacy wants to teach her children the value of community and giving back.

“Family Promise reinforces the importance of community, of checking in with people in need, helping those who are going through a down time,” Stacy says.

When Linda visits Stacy’s family in Indiana, all three generations volunteer together.

In the end, it’s family that mother and daughter treasure most, and they’re grateful to reinforce that value through Family Promise.

“They say it takes a village to raise a child,” says Linda. “That village is full of families.”

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