Engaging the Volunteers

Volunteer Appreciation – Thursday, May 15th

Our Volunteers Light the Way…

Volunteers are a vital part of our ministry and

WE ARE SO THANKFUL FOR ALL THEY DO!

A Volunteer Appreciation Dessert was held on the evening of

Thursday, May 15, 2008 at the Friendship Center to honor and appreciate all Friends of the Carpenter volunteers.  Over 50 volunteers were entertained by a quartet of clergy, Chris Nolte (keyboard and vocals), Mark Randall, Tim Westerberg and our own Duane Sich.  Each volunteer received an appreciation gift of a ‘Friends of the Carpenter’ logo key ring pocket light.  This year’s theme was Our Volunteers Light the Way.

Our guest speaker that evening was Vancouver, USA Mayor Royce Pollard, who shared how important groups like Friends of the Carpenter are to the life of our community.  Mayor Pollard’s wife Margaret has volunteered as one of our Hospitality Hosts this past year.  Donald Prickett and Mike Brasure each shared what the Friends of the Carpenter ministry means to them.  Donald also presented to Mayor Pollard a one-of-a-kind piece of scroll saw art – an inspirational patriotic plaque incorporating the American flag and an Eagle.  This was another wonderful event to recognize the gifts of our committed and dedicated group of FOC volunteers.

“I am the light of the world; he who follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”      John 8:12

Share Outreach

This agency had been housed at Share House and moved into its new location across the street at 1110 W. 13th St. in December 2008.  Outreach provides services for homeless men and women that range from bus tickets, mail boxes, phone calls, and job and housing referrals to clothing and shower needs.  Friends of the Carpenter volunteers assist every Friday morning by providing one or two volunteers to help with the shower sign-ups and clothing needs. This is a good way for our volunteers to meet and talk with our friends on the street. 

Share House Meals

A few Friends of the Carpenter volunteers help to cook and serve the breakfast meal at Share House every weekday, Monday through Friday.  We have had 10 different faithful and dedicated volunteers serve in 2008.

Friends of the Carpenter volunteers help to cook and serve the breakfast meal on the 3rd Saturday morning of the month with a woodworking event afterward and dinner on the 4th Monday night with a worship service that follows the meal from April to October.  Over past twelve months over 60 different volunteers joined us for at least one of those events.

Project Homeless Connect

Friends of the Carpenter was pleased to participate in the first ever event of this kind in Vancouver, organized by the Council for the Homeless.  It was held on Saturday, April 26 in the Commons area of Hudson’s Bay High School.  Modeled on a program that has been put on in other cities around the country, Project Homeless Connect is a one day, one stop service fair for people that are homeless and low income.  A wide variety of private and government agencies were present to provide a whole range of services – everything from housing, employment, legal and medical to basics like a meal and haircuts.  Friends of the Carpenter staffed a booth to hand out information about our ministry and invite all those interested to the Friendship Center.

Hospitality Hosts

These volunteers are the first friendly face visitors see when they enter the Friendship Center.  They meet and greet the hundreds and hundreds of people who come through our front door and also help by answering the telephone and assisting with clerical tasks.  We now have seven people filling this role on a regular basis, but throughout the monthly schedule there remain many unfilled shifts that are waiting for additional volunteers.

Woodworking Activity Hosts

Every Tuesday and most Wednesdays we hold woodworking events at the Friendship Center.  Although a variety of tasks are assigned that include sanding, gluing, painting, and drilling, the focus is not on the wood.  We invite these volunteers to join in the ‘table’ fellowship of building relationships with our friends and with our Lord.  Listening and being present to all those who participate are especially important skills needed for this role.

“Challenge Program” Student Volunteers

Once again this past year, we were blessed by the presence of Middle School youth from the Vancouver School District Challenge Program. They come once a month a few times during the school year.  The students are given a choice of where to serve and come to us interested in the homeless issue and also in woodworking.  They are given the opportunity to visit with persons in transition and to talk to other volunteers who give of their time.  They also work on wood projects and help out where needed.

Student Volunteers - Nineteen 1st Presbyterian and East Woods Youth participated in the 30 hr. famine on February 23 with 11 of our friends.  Eleven youth from Hockinson High School assisted at SHARE House Brunch on May 17th, and 20 SCUMC youth helped out on March 15th.

200 Volunteers for 2 Hours each

It continues to be our goal to have the Friendship Center and all Friends of the Carpenter events chock-full of volunteers and participants. The philosophy is that an increase in the number of people we have involved in the ministry will result in more positive relationships and friendships developed and more people experiencing God’s love and grace. We continue to strive for a consistent 200 volunteers for at least 2 hours each a month or more! The “Volunteer Numbers & Hours / Participant Numbers” Chart (see page 23) illustrates our monthly accounting of numbers and hours. This isn’t an exact tabulation of our numbers over the last year; however, our goal is to involve more and more people in all areas of the ministry of Friends of the Carpenter.

Thoughts from Tom…….Looking back over my first year of service as the Volunteer Coordinator at Friends of the Carpenter, I realize how blessed I am to be a part of this Christ-filled and dynamic ministry.  I still find heading down to the Friendship Center to be a tremendous gift from God and I still look forward to coming to work each and every day that I am there.  It is such a joyful experience getting to work with everyone who comes through the door, whatever their motivation or reason for being there is.  I especially treasure and value the contributions and efforts of our close to 200 volunteers.  These dedicated women and men are an inspiration to me and a real testament through their faith in and devotion to God and through their belief in and commitment to the Friends of the Carpenter Mission.

As in any job or vocation, there are successes and failures, challenges and opportunities, but I continue to look forward with great hope that we will carry on the work to build up the Body of Christ in our community, with God’s help and ever-present protection.

Tom Iberle,  Volunteer Coordinator

Congratulations to Tom Iberle for being nominated for the 2007 Archbishop Hunthousen Humanitarian Award sponsored by Catholic Community Services, and the Council for the Homeless Community Advocate Award for 2008.