IHN Volunteer Stories: Scott
Lake Edge member Scott Zuberbier shares his story of volunteering with IHN
What you are doing when you volunteer for IHN will touch the lives of others, and it will touch your life as well. Simply put, it is a win/win situation in which you feel better about yourself and they feel better about themselves. I would say that the experience of being an IHN volunteer host is very fun and rewarding.
It is fun because you get to meet new people every time and you have a chance to see their human side which is as far as you can get from the stereotypes society has developed of “homeless people.” So many people in society feel that people are homeless only because they are lazy and not trying to put in a full day of work at any time, but these people work harder every day than anyone does who is working for a paycheck.
It is rewarding because you know that these people need evidence of society being supportive of them instead of negligent of them and the fact that you are doing what you are doing through IHN is seen by the people we host as a sign of support and it increases their optimism of a better tomorrow. The people who come through IHN regard that support as being priceless and by the simple means of being there and having a good time with them, you are providing that support they don’t get elsewhere.
This last time around a young girl walked up to me and said, “Hi Scott”. I looked down to her and I recognized her voice and face but could not remember her name immediately. That is an issue contingent on memory and my memory for names is horrible and only getting worse. Then suddenly she said to me, “Amanda would know who I am.” The Amanda she is referring to is my daughter. The moment she said that I realized that she and Amanda had been good friends when this young girl lived just a few doors down the street from us.
It was a very sad moment for me to see her there, but it made the fact that I was there to help people such as herself felt even better than it would have if all of the people were strangers to me. Regardless of whether or not you cross paths with someone you know while you are doing volunteer work for IHN, it is an experience that will be very beneficial both for the people who are staying at the church that evening, and also for yourself.
What it's really like to volunteer with IHN
Audrey's Story
Janet's Story
Nicole's Story
Renee's Story
History of IHN at Lake Edge
What you are doing when you volunteer for IHN will touch the lives of others, and it will touch your life as well. Simply put, it is a win/win situation in which you feel better about yourself and they feel better about themselves. I would say that the experience of being an IHN volunteer host is very fun and rewarding.
It is fun because you get to meet new people every time and you have a chance to see their human side which is as far as you can get from the stereotypes society has developed of “homeless people.” So many people in society feel that people are homeless only because they are lazy and not trying to put in a full day of work at any time, but these people work harder every day than anyone does who is working for a paycheck.
It is rewarding because you know that these people need evidence of society being supportive of them instead of negligent of them and the fact that you are doing what you are doing through IHN is seen by the people we host as a sign of support and it increases their optimism of a better tomorrow. The people who come through IHN regard that support as being priceless and by the simple means of being there and having a good time with them, you are providing that support they don’t get elsewhere.
This last time around a young girl walked up to me and said, “Hi Scott”. I looked down to her and I recognized her voice and face but could not remember her name immediately. That is an issue contingent on memory and my memory for names is horrible and only getting worse. Then suddenly she said to me, “Amanda would know who I am.” The Amanda she is referring to is my daughter. The moment she said that I realized that she and Amanda had been good friends when this young girl lived just a few doors down the street from us.
It was a very sad moment for me to see her there, but it made the fact that I was there to help people such as herself felt even better than it would have if all of the people were strangers to me. Regardless of whether or not you cross paths with someone you know while you are doing volunteer work for IHN, it is an experience that will be very beneficial both for the people who are staying at the church that evening, and also for yourself.
What it's really like to volunteer with IHN
Audrey's Story
Janet's Story
Nicole's Story
Renee's Story
History of IHN at Lake Edge