THE VALUE OF VOLUNTEERING TODAY

CLAIRE

After decades as a high-level business professional, Claire Sekafetz retired and thought volunteering would be “a way to stay busy." Today, Claire personally runs a vast network of volunteers serving a center for homeless men in the city of San Bernardino.

“ I was invited to help serve a meal at the Central City Lutheran Mission (CCLM) in San Bernardino. This homeless center relies on different churches to bring Sunday night dinner to the men that live there. The invitation was clearly for me to help in the kitchen; however, when I arrived, more than enough volunteers had come from the church, and they did not need me in the kitchen. So, they said I should go out into the dining room and mingle with the clients.

It was 2011, and I was shocked and very afraid as I had never spoken to or even come near a homeless person in my life. I had always volunteered at various agencies. Every year, I would even serve Thanksgiving dinner. However, I always worked behind the scenes. When I said to the person who invited me, 'What should I be doing', her effortless answer impacted me deeply. 'Just say a prayer.' So I did," recalls Claire.

"I walked into the dining area and saw a man sitting with his back to the front of the dining hall. I went up to his table and sat down across from him. He never looked up at me. He was eating with his hands. He was the most ragged person I had ever seen. I was very nervous," she described.

"I said 'Hi' and told him my name. He made a sound like a grunt. 'Lord this is not going well,' I thought. I paused a few seconds and then said, 'tell me about yourself.' He slowly began speaking and telling me his story. He still hadn't looked up at me. He talked for about 20 minutes. When he was done speaking, he looked up at me. There were tears in his eyes. He said 'thank you, lady. No one has asked me about me in 20 years.' He got up, walked out the door, and I never saw him again," she remembers.

"That moment changed my life. His story was tragic and what he had been through would have broken down the best of us. I realized that he had a life before his tragic turn of events. He was just like me…and then it all changed.

Claire continues, "That was the beginning of my commitment to work with the homeless in whatever way I could. I knew then that I had to become involved. I know I helped him just by his response. He really helped me see the reality of someone who is experiencing homelessness. I now have a sense of urgency to do whatever I can, for as long as I am able."

"Lutheran Social Services prioritizes the disenfranchised, vulnerable, and displaced people in the communities where we serve. I am very thankful to be part of that team."

Do want to be part of a story like Claire's? Are you willing to join the 5,697,252 formal volunteers in the state of California who together contributed 379.2 million hours of service through organizations like LSSSC? (Americorps 2021 Report) Together that service was worth an estimated $13.5 billion.

Your spare time may be more valuable than you think. It is not just in dollars, but it is valuable to the people you directly help by serving as a volunteer at one of LSSSC's locations throughout Southern California. To sign up or find out more see: https:// www.lsssc.org/volunteer/.

2021-22 STATISTICS FOLLOW

1

18.3% OF CA RESIDENTS FORMALLY VOLUNTEERED THROUGH AN ORG.

2

JUST 18.3% OF CA RESIDENTS STATE THAT THEY “BELONG” TO A CHARITY

3

51.2% OF CA RESIDENTS REPORT INFORMALLY VOLUNTEERING TO HELP NEIGHBORS, FAMILY & FRIENDS

4

ONLY 39.0% OF CA RESIDENTS REPORT DONATING $25 OR MORE TO CHARITY

5

WOMEN ARE MORE LIKELY THAN MEN TO VOLUNTEER, BOTH FORMALLY AND INFORMALLY

6

BABY BOOMERS ARE MORE LIKELY TO VOLUNTEER THAN ANY OTHER GENERATION

Celebrate National Volunteer Month in April.