Sarah's Inn Update and Holiday Gift Project

It's hard to write about what I do at Sarah's Inn. Part of this is because any information about clients is strictly confidential. Victims of domestic abuse have all sorts of safety concerns to worry about, so we don't share any personal details about clients, or their experiences with us, or anything that could possibly link them to us. I've taken three shifts of the Crisis Line now, and while I got calls that gave me things to think and pray about, there's nothing to talk about.

The other reason I don't have much to say about my work at Sarah's Inn is that my day-to-day is pretty mundane. As the Volunteer Coordinator, I spend most of my time in my office, making volunteer calendars and scheduling appointments. I spend a decent amount of time on the phone, and most of the rest of my time emailing volunteers and staff. Almost everything I do is dependent upon the responses of others, which means I check my email compulsively. It can get frustrating, waiting for volunteers to sign up for shifts on the Crisis Line and leaving voice mails about meeting times.

I'd like to say that I'm learning patience by having a job in which waiting for others is a part of my daily life, but that's not really true. I still get as nervous waiting for emails to trickle in after sending out volunteer request as I did when I started. However, I am learning to trust that volunteers will come through. There are volunteers working on the Crisis Line throughout Christmas and New Year's. Volunteers often recruit their friends, come up with new ways to support out clients, and generally are willing to put in a tremendous amount of time for no pay.

I still haven't met all of the volunteers face-to-face, although I've certainly met more of them by now. To many of them, I am still a disembodied voice that will call up and ask them to spend a night talking to domestic abuse victims, or come in and sort through donations, or work the front desk during our peak hours. And despite the fact that we have no history together, responses are overwhelmingly positive. Our volunteers are completely casual about the amount of time they spend helping Sarah's Inn, like it's no big deal. And since there's no way we could do many of our services without them, it means a lot to me and the rest of the staff.

I don't interact with clients very often, which made last Saturday's Holiday Gift Project a special treat. The Holiday Gift Project at Sarah's Inn is a time for clients, volunteers, and staff to all intermingle while clients pick out presents for their families. Courthouses, schools, hospitals, and police stations collect toys for weeks before the event. Volunteers start showing up the week before the event to transform one floor of the office into a toy store. There are rooms of toys, scarves, and other presents, sorted into different age groups and arranged with care. Clients also have a chance to pick up new winter coats for their families as well, combining practical and fun concerns.

The event is an organization-wide affair, and everybody gets involved in some way. The advocates that run our support groups have a special session to help clients deal with holiday stress. Our legal advocates spend most of their time at courthouses instead of in the office, but they come in for the day to greet their clients and make everyone feel welcome. I'm never around the groups, so it's fantastic to see kids getting excited to see their regular advocates.

It's also an exciting way for new volunteers to come in and start working with Sarah's Inn. Our regular volunteers need to complete a month-long training before they can interact with clients, but serving hot chocolate and wrapping gifts are things which untrained volunteers are more than capable of doing. We get plenty of school groups in for the day, as well as people who are waiting to begin their volunteer training. I love getting to meet new volunteers on that day. It's also great showing the volunteers part of how their work at Sarah's Inn fits into the bigger picture of services for clients. And frankly, the kids who are waiting for their moms in childcare are a lot of fun to spend time with.