Making a difference comes easy for some. EV is one of those volunteers who truly enjoys the services she provides.
This interview was to be about EV and her service to Neighbors Who Care but in true EV fashion, the conversation quickly changed to talking about her beloved husband of 20 years Jim who sadly passed this spring.
EV and Jim were snowbirds and began volunteering for us in 2012. EV tells me that Jim was the driving force in volunteering as he was a lifelong volunteer at their church and coaching the local Jr. High school girls’ basketball team. When they arrived in Arizona from Illinois, Jim knew volunteering had to be part of their new lifestyle. Jim and EV embraced Neighbors Who Care and became part of the team providing transportation and dinner delivery. EV also started volunteering in the NWC office as one of our receptionists. In 2017, when they decided it was time to move to Sun Lakes full-time, Jim decided, that instead of taking his favorite car to Arizona he would sell it because “it wasn’t a car our clients could easily get into”. Selfless actions like this were something Jim was known for.
Three years ago, EV decided to expand her volunteer services and started supporting our Case Manager Bonnie in the annual holiday gift-giving project. EV has embraced the work and is truly valued for her time, efforts, and organizational skills.
The Gift-Giving Program: A Team Effort!
The gift-giving program was started about 15 years ago and has grown from 20 gifts in the first year to what it is now delivering almost 100 gifts.
Clients who need some holiday cheer were identified by Bonnie, and at the beginning of November EV and Bonnie started reaching out to talk with our clients about items they may need or enjoy. As you can imagine, calling all those clients takes a lot of time (thank you, EV), and the process of creating the gift tags is time-consuming. Each tag is hung on the Oakwood Country Club Christmas Tree, allowing anyone visiting to select a tag and make someone’s holiday merry and bright! Of all the different things EV does for Neighbors Who Care the Holiday Gift-Giving project brings her the most joy.
To say the least, EV is a dedicated Neighbors Who Care volunteer and has had a tremendous impact on our clients and community. EV looks forward to working on this project each year.
