Why Volunteer?
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Volunteering really is good for your soul--and it's good for your body and mind too! Discover that doing something to help others helps everyone, including you.
Share and pass on the many blessings that have graced your life. Empower others, make a difference and gain personal satisfaction. Be amazed at the incredible appreciation from those whose lives you touch. Doctors and psychologists frequently encourage their patients to get involved in direct, hands-on service through local churches and community organizations. Business leaders also often recognize that many of their best employees are active volunteers. |
In 2020, dozens of volunteers wrote more than 1,000 Christmas cards which we delivered to the senior communities in the San Francisco Bay Area.
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SpiritCare Ministry partnered with Menlo Church to bless the isolated citizens confined in nursing facilities with holiday cards. Many of the cards were handmade, most spoke of God's love, some included notes of empathy and kindness, all were labors of love. We thank all the volunteers (young and old) who sent notes of hope and cards of encouragement to help our seniors and the staffs through this crisis with some extra communication and prayer.
THANK YOU!
Volunteers in the congregation of Los Altos United Methodist Church made over 100 gift bags for senior citizens in our care communities. The bags contained a blank puzzle, markers, a journal, a book of sudoku (or similar) puzzles, and a note from the person who put the bag together.
They gave 30 of these 'blessing bags' to the Cupertino Senior Center and donated the rest to SpiritCare Ministry for Seniors. We eagerly distributed them to a facility on the peninsula -- and for some of the residents, this bag was only gift they received at Christmas
The staff and caretakers were so pleased to have their folks remembered in this way and said the bags provided hours of entertainment and pleasure. Thank you so much to the generous volunteers in Los Altos -- you've inspired us all!
Volunteers in the congregation of Los Altos United Methodist Church made over 100 gift bags for senior citizens in our care communities. The bags contained a blank puzzle, markers, a journal, a book of sudoku (or similar) puzzles, and a note from the person who put the bag together.
They gave 30 of these 'blessing bags' to the Cupertino Senior Center and donated the rest to SpiritCare Ministry for Seniors. We eagerly distributed them to a facility on the peninsula -- and for some of the residents, this bag was only gift they received at Christmas
The staff and caretakers were so pleased to have their folks remembered in this way and said the bags provided hours of entertainment and pleasure. Thank you so much to the generous volunteers in Los Altos -- you've inspired us all!
The children of Jen Perry (below) created and sent pictures, paintings, and comics to brighten the days of the residents at Pacifica Nursing and Rehabilitation Center during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Perry family attends Menlo Church San Jose.
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Samika Agarwal and her team made these beautiful cards for seniors:
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How can we support the elderly?
Anita & Mithran Mathew, and their daughters, Anjali (14) and Meera (13), wanted to help help the senior communities who were missing the in-person worship services SpiritCare provides. They recorded this meaningful on-line worship service and lovely singing for the staff and residents to listen to at their convenience.
Anita & Mithran Mathew, and their daughters, Anjali (14) and Meera (13), wanted to help help the senior communities who were missing the in-person worship services SpiritCare provides. They recorded this meaningful on-line worship service and lovely singing for the staff and residents to listen to at their convenience.
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“For it is in giving that we receive.” ―St. Francis of Assisi
Carolyn Kirby Sheppler, pictured left, volunteered to contact an isolated senior citizen during the COVID-19 crisis. Her experience is such an inspiration!
"I have been on the phone for over an hour with precious Juanita who will be turning 91 in June!!! She shared with me about growing up as a little girl and into her high school years. Not a good childhood. I am so blessed by her and at the end of the conversation I asked her if it would be OK to pray with her and she said yes and I said would you like to pray also and she said yes. I prayed first and then she prayed, thanking God because I was an answer to a prayer she had prayed two weeks ago asking the Lord to send someone into her life that she could talk to about the Lord. I started weeping....Thank you thank you so much for giving me this opportunity!! We have a date for next Friday to talk with each other again.... and I can’t wait ... ❣️"
"I have been on the phone for over an hour with precious Juanita who will be turning 91 in June!!! She shared with me about growing up as a little girl and into her high school years. Not a good childhood. I am so blessed by her and at the end of the conversation I asked her if it would be OK to pray with her and she said yes and I said would you like to pray also and she said yes. I prayed first and then she prayed, thanking God because I was an answer to a prayer she had prayed two weeks ago asking the Lord to send someone into her life that she could talk to about the Lord. I started weeping....Thank you thank you so much for giving me this opportunity!! We have a date for next Friday to talk with each other again.... and I can’t wait ... ❣️"
Senior citizens in nursing homes have become a focal point of the coronavirus outbreak. Never before have the elders in our communities been more at risk. We put out a call for help and received many responses like this one:
"My name is Alisa and I have 2 teens and 2 pets. We would like to help out. My kids can take videos of our pets and I can make some cards. Let me know where I can mail them."
Alisa shared a picture of the beautiful cards she made and sent to the residents of Hopkins Manor in Redwood City, CA. Thank you, Alisa!
"My name is Alisa and I have 2 teens and 2 pets. We would like to help out. My kids can take videos of our pets and I can make some cards. Let me know where I can mail them."
Alisa shared a picture of the beautiful cards she made and sent to the residents of Hopkins Manor in Redwood City, CA. Thank you, Alisa!
Volunteering blesses and inspires our volunteers
From Jacqueline: "Hi, I had a wonderful conversation with Lee this morning and a great time of prayer! She’s greatly encouraged ... and when I asked her was/did she get lonely with what’s happening with SIP, her response was, “Well, I’m always talking with my Lord so I don’t get a chance to get too lonely.” What a praise report!!!! Thanks so much for allowing me the honor and privilege of getting to connect and make outreach calls to Lee."
From Emily L: "Writing letters to the seniors made me emotional because I can’t imagine having to live in such isolation during this time. Seniors are often avoided but society, which is so sad because they have had a lifetime of adventures and experiences that they could share with us. One note didn’t feel like enough; I wish I could write each person one hundred notes. I can only hope that the letters are a brief spot of light in the heaviness of their lives at this time. Thank you for giving me this opportunity... it was truly an enriching and rewarding experience. I have attached an example of one of my letters below, but no two letters of the 56 were the same."
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From Emily Z (pictured right with her mother): "I am a high school student in San Jose. [I heard] you might need PPEs and inspirational notes, which is a project I am doing now. I would be more than happy to help! We are making face shields, face masks, and collecting one-time medical masks or N95 masks. We are also writing inspirational notes. Could you provide more information on what you need and I can see how I can help."
Emily donated 100 face masks, 50 face shields, and several hand-written notes, which we distributed to the carers and residents at Burlingame Villa, Mills Estate Villa, and Sunset Gardens. The pictures are worth a thousand words. Thank you Emily and friends! You are an inspiration to all of us.
Emily donated 100 face masks, 50 face shields, and several hand-written notes, which we distributed to the carers and residents at Burlingame Villa, Mills Estate Villa, and Sunset Gardens. The pictures are worth a thousand words. Thank you Emily and friends! You are an inspiration to all of us.
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"We are so happy to help!"
These pre-teens from Los Altos pitched in to make more than 120 cards for the residents at Atherton Regency and Meadow Gardens.
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So many benefits of volunteering
Allan Luks in his book, The Healing Power of Doing Good: The Health and Spiritual Benefits of Helping Others, writes, "Doing good makes you feel good. Concentrating on others makes us forget our own problems and troubles and lifts us out of ourselves... ...The next revolution in health care must be to bring to our awareness the health potential of helping others." He contends that exercise and good nutrition, for all their power to keep us healthy, are not enough for a truly vibrant life.
Those who have experienced personal tragedy or loss in their own lives often find that by serving others, the healing of their own pain is hastened. Volunteer service can be an effective catalyst for learning new ways of relating to other people. Volunteers consistently report improved personal and work relationships because they have become more confident in sharing latent talents and inner qualities that have been ignored or neglected.
How about you? Isn't it time to volunteer? By becoming actively involved in SpiritCare Ministry to Seniors, you'll be putting your beliefs into action. A few hours of your time will make a difference.
Allan Luks in his book, The Healing Power of Doing Good: The Health and Spiritual Benefits of Helping Others, writes, "Doing good makes you feel good. Concentrating on others makes us forget our own problems and troubles and lifts us out of ourselves... ...The next revolution in health care must be to bring to our awareness the health potential of helping others." He contends that exercise and good nutrition, for all their power to keep us healthy, are not enough for a truly vibrant life.
Those who have experienced personal tragedy or loss in their own lives often find that by serving others, the healing of their own pain is hastened. Volunteer service can be an effective catalyst for learning new ways of relating to other people. Volunteers consistently report improved personal and work relationships because they have become more confident in sharing latent talents and inner qualities that have been ignored or neglected.
How about you? Isn't it time to volunteer? By becoming actively involved in SpiritCare Ministry to Seniors, you'll be putting your beliefs into action. A few hours of your time will make a difference.
As Helen Keller said, "I am only one, but still I am one;
I cannot do everything, but still I can do something;
I will not refuse to do the something I can do."
