Volunteering is a very personal decision and the reasons why people volunteer can vary greatly. For some they are looking for skills or opportunities to help them advance in a related field. Others are looking for a social connection or a way to fill extra time after children leave home or after retirement. Then there is the desire to give back to their community in service to others. Whatever the reason volunteers serve a vital role in many nonprofits. Here at Neighbors Who Care we value each volunteer and support their individual reasons for joining our team.
Bonnie one such volunteer joined our team back in March of 2024. She wanted to find a way to give back to her community. As she put it, though helping others she can feel God moving in her life. Bonnie knows that she is being blessed in so many ways with the work she is doing with us.
Bonnie’s story:
Bonnie and her husband Tim like many young couples wanted to start a family together. Unfortunately, they have been unable to conceive. After many doctors’ appointments Bonnie was told she had unexplained infertility. This diagnosis or lack of a diagnosis left Bonnie feeling broken and discouraged. She had lost her joy. With her deep sadness of not being a mother, Bonnie knew she had to find a way to get “out of herself”. Reflecting back to her teenage years, her grandma Dolly came to live with her and her mother after her grandfather passed away. During this time caring for Grandma Dolly (and her Alzheimer’s disease) she learned the importance of family and the value of caring for each other. This left a deep impact on her as her grandmother declined. So, when Bonnie began her search to find a way to stop focusing on herself and her struggles, she knew that helping seniors had to be part of the equation. With the memory of caring for her grandmother she reached out to Neighbors Who Care to sign up to become a volunteer.
Bonnie now helps seniors in need by offering needed transportation to doctors’ appointments. She has also learned that not only is she providing a needed ride she is also providing necessary company and conversation to homebound seniors. She loves having conversations with the clients, learning about their lives their past professions and their struggles. This isn’t one sided, Bonnie openly shares her story if asked and often times the seniors have a similar story to share and have even prayed with Bonnie. This in turn helps the clients to feel valued and needed, it is a true full circle of caring for one another. Bonnie has just been matched for our Friendly Visiting program and is looking forward to starting a long-term relationship with one of our clients. She feels that when you bless others with your time God sees this and is pleased.
On top of volunteering with us at Neighbors Who Care Bonnie is a professional cake decorator. Bonnie started her cake business at the end of 2019. In honor of her grandmother she named her business Dolly’s Kitchen. She has taken what once was just a hobby and turned it into a thriving business. Her cakes are not the typical grocery store creations, they are true works of art. They are the center piece of any celebration. When Bonnie is not in the kitchen, her and her husband love to go camping with their two dogs Milo and Max. To see more of Bonnies beautiful cakes, visit her on Instagram.