It’s simple; the programs offered by A Family Place would not be possible without volunteer support.
Last week we celebrated the people who have made our first six months possible, without ever receiving a paycheck for their work. These community leaders recognize the importance of the first five years in a child’s life and are motivated solely by their desire to see children in our community thrive.
To all of our volunteers: We celebrate your commitment, and humbly thank you for your service.
Although special awards were handed out (see below) AFP Director Cara Copeland said it best when she stated the “Most Valuable Volunteer” award goes to all of our volunteers just for showing up to serve our community.
She added, “If we didn’t have money, we couldn’t hire staff to work with families. If we didn’t have diapers, how would we reach out to families and encourage them to engage our services? If we didn’t take care of babies and children, how would mothers gain skills to combat depression?
“Because you showed up, Haley is talking in complete sentences. Because you showed up, Tanya had diapers for her little ones when the end of the month left her in the hole. Because you showed up Margarita stayed out of the hospital for her depression and her children stayed out of foster care. Because you showed up, A Family Place has been able to touch over 200 families in our county who desperately needed to know someone cared.”
Specific recognition was given to:
First AFP volunteer: Cynthia Easterday; Judge Easterday was part of the original team that set out over three years ago to bring a relief nursery to Yamhill County. She has served as an advocate for our programs, and frequently refers families to A Family Place.
Most Hours Logged: Susan Chambers; Susan joined A Family Place early on and has served as a child care volunteer for parenting classes, as well as in the relief nursery. Susan has proven to be a champion for A Family Place in the McMinnville community and we are very grateful for her commitment.
Most Programs Served: Kris White; Kris originally came to us as a Chemeketa intern, but remained as a volunteer long after her term ended. She has logged hours as a volunteer in the relief nursery as well as the parent education and home visiting programs. When those aren’t keeping her busy she has taken on everything from diaper bundling to administrative work in the office!
Odd Job Volunteer: Darrel King; Darrel’s wife, Lucy, was serving as a volunteer in the relief nursery classroom when Darrel mentioned he enjoyed building things and asked if we had any projects. Weeks later he had installed shelving and organized closets from one end of our office to the next.
Secret Weapon: Val Carpenter; Val came to us looking for administrative work. She now logs as many as 20 hours a week doing entry data required to maintain our status as part of the Oregon Relief Nursery Association.
In short, volunteers have already logged over 200 hours of work with A Family Place each month in Newberg, McMinnville and West Valley. They are invaluable to our work, and the children we serve.
To find out more about volunteering with A Family Place, visit out Volunteer page.