Volunteer Appreciation Month Kick-off

Western Presbyterian meal volunteers

There’s a famous quote by Mark Twain that “actions speak louder than words.” What is often left out of that great line is the second half—“actions speak louder than words, but not nearly as often.” Well, I beg to differ, Mr. Twain. You clearly have underestimated us here at Calvary!

I believe that numbers can sometimes speak louder than words, so let me share just how often our volunteers make a difference.

From February 2010 through February 2011, our volunteers:

  • Cooked and served 430 meals
  • Led 380 hours of Life Skills classes
  • Provided 560 hours of help to staff in residents in the evening
  • Spent 6,460 hours overnight at our program sites
  • Volunteered a grand total of more than 10,000 hours!

And, talk about “dedication”! Here are some personal stats:

Outstanding Overnighters

  • Dynamic Duo Josiah Lambert and Jen Smyers: 100 overnights since 2008
  • Patty Danova: 97 overnights since 2008
  • Jude Welling: 46 overnights since 2008
  • Rosalyn Sloan: 36 overnights since 2008
  • Erin McDermott: 25 overnights since 2008
  • Molly Cohen: 34 overnights since March 2010
  • Gretchen Rydin: 22 overnights since May 2010

Meals

  • Rose Briggs: 20 meals since 2008
  • Angela Jones: 16 meals (plus 6 overnights!) since 2008
  • Donna Richmond: 19 meals since 2009
  • Becky Orlich and Jack Soukenik: 22 meals since 2008

Dedicated Groups

  • Terps for Change:102 overnights since  2008
  • Junior League of DC: 36 meals plus 43 Life Skills classes since 2008
  • Hogan Lovells: 27 meals plus 21 Life Skills classes since 2008
  • Blessed Sacrament: 30 meals since 2008
  • Mt. Vernon United Methodist Church: 28 meals since 2008
  • Western Presbyterian: 27 meals since 2008
  • International Monetary Fund: 31 meals since 2008
  • Enchanting Women, Calvary Baptist, Bethesda United Methodist Church, Aglow Ministry, Women of Faith, and our very own Board of Directors.
    Calvary’s 2010 Volunteer Appreciation event

April is Volunteer Appreciation month, and the perfect time to honor the nearly 300 volunteers who choose to donate their time to Calvary.  When I reflect back on the past year, there are so many milestones and moments with our volunteers that stand out for me.  We have volunteers that have celebrated engagements and weddings, as well as births and deaths of loved ones. We survived Snowpocalypse 2010, the intense heat of a D.C. summer, and a festive holiday season. We’ve welcomed new Calvary staff and said goodbye to familiar faces. We’ve done it all. Together.  You’ve stood by us faithfully, providing unwavering support for our programs and all of the women we serve.

Words of affirmation just aren’t enough, and there is no way we could ever truly show you how appreciative we are.  Calvary is gearing up for new and exciting changes, and this growth could not have happened without you.  We all make a pretty great team, you know.  Our leadership is steering the boat, but you, our volunteers, are paddling the oars.

From the entire Calvary staff and all of our residents, past and present, THANK YOU!

Recent Posts

Back to Blog
September 3, 2024

Calvary Women’s Services Receives $20,000 D…

METRO BOOMIN BRINGS HIS ‘LESLIE JOANNE SINGLE MOMS ARE SUPERHEROES’ NATIONAL TOUR GRANT INITIATIVE TO THE 13TH STOP OF HIS ‘WE TRUST YOU TOUR’ WITH FUTURE IN WASHINGTON, D.C. August wa…
August 16, 2024

Empowering Survivors of Domestic Violence

Calvary Women’s Services has worked to empower women experiencing homelessness and domestic violence since 1984. During our 40-year history, we’ve seen countless changes to the state of homelessne…
August 20, 2024

In This Together Community Walk FAQs

Participants of the 2022 In This Together Community Walk by the Anacostia River Registration is open for the 2024 In This Together Community Walk! Join Calvary Women’s Services as we celebrate the a…