Back in September, I joined a Service Outreach group called Junior Auxiliary. My friend April, introduced me to it. It's a community service/outreach group, which just thrills me to death!
Tonight I had the opportunity to volunteer (through JA) at the Peace At Home (PAH) family shelter here in Springdale. PAH is basically a domestic violence or battered women's shelter. It houses up to 30 women and children at one time. They provide a safe place to stay, along with the job skills, apartment hunting, parenting classes, counseling or anything else that a woman in this situation may need.
Tonight was the "Santa Project" at the shelter. The clients that currently live there, along with clients that have lived there or received aide from PAH throughout this last year, were able to bring their kids in and let them shop for mom, while the mom shopped for the kids. We then wrapped the presents for them.
My heart had lots of emotions while there tonight. It was touching (to say the least) to see the joy on these client's faces or the excitement the kids showed as they were picking out a gift for Mom. It was neat to see so many volunteers work together to help someone else out. It broke my heart to think that these women and children have had it so rough. My heart melted when I over heard a former client telling an employee about what the shelter had done for her while she was trying to escape from her abuser. She said she came tonight because she wanted to help someone else the way the shelter helped her.
It was a great experience being there and I'm so thankful that I went. I feel like I saw the true spirit of the holidays tonight and I'm so proud to say that I was apart it. Wow. What a great feeling.
2 comments:
What a great charity for those women and children. I'm glad you got the chance to experience it!
I love that! I was thinking the other day about doing something like that! I would love to be involved!
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