May Volunteer Spotlight – Kathy Bolopue
Kathy is our featured Volunteer for the month of May and for good reason. She has contributed so much to both the Spiritual Connections ministry as well as to our Guardianship ministry. Many of our friends in the disability community know and love Kathy and are always pleased to see her when she attends our Sunday Evening Celebrations or helps to deliver our Bridging Hearts Bags. We want you to get to know Kathy too, and this is her story:
“About six years ago, I saw a small entry in my church bulletin that said Bridge Ministries was looking for volunteers. The Holy Spirit must have been working in me, and I immediately called the number. The primary need at the time was for a volunteer who could fix equipment at the Meyer Medical Equipment Center, but since I wasn’t qualified for that, I was referred to the Spiritual Connections team. Shortly afterwards, I was phoning folks to remind them of upcoming Sunday Evening Celebrations (SEC) and loving the interactions! Eventually, I attended an SEC in person, and I was hooked! I attend the SEC’s regularly now and have gotten to know some amazing people. Since then, I have also made two friends in the Friend to Friend ministry – Shira and Karen. (This ministry seeks to pair a volunteer with a Bridge guardianship client to foster friendship that will, hopefully, grow over the years). These two lovely women have blessed my life in so many ways.
On the personal side, I worked in the tech industry for many years, and met my husband at work. When my only daughter was born, I became a stay-at-home mom. My daughter was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at the age of two. Diabetes is more of a disease than a disability but going thru this with her showed me what it is like to feel you’re a little different from others, and how challenging that can be. A diabetes support group was so helpful to us at that time. I feel that Spiritual Connections is similar, in that it puts people together who may have struggled to fit in. The experience of being around others with a disability can feel very welcoming and accepting. This is how an SEC feels to me, and I see smiles on the faces of both friends and caregivers.”
Kathy is a wonderful example of the impact volunteers can have not only on Bridge but on all of our friends who have found a place to belong through our social events. We deeply value our volunteers as they make our mission so much easier to accomplish. We could not do it without them.
Thank you, Kathy!
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God. Matthew 5:9.
Categorised in: Bridge Story