A Small Group of Thoughtful, Committed Citizens

Last Saturday, Rosehedge/Multifaith Works welcomed 25 new volunteers into our CareTeam Program training.  These new volunteers were all so different from each other: they ranged in age from 18 to 78; they were Asian, African, Hispanic, and Caucasian; they were gay, lesbian, and straight.  They came from Shoreline, West Seattle, Issaquah, Skyway, Edgewood (I had to look that one up on a map too), and many parts in between.

The new volunteers were different in those many ways, but what brought each of them to us was essentially the same thing.  They all had an impulse to give their time and share themselves with people who will truly benefit from both of these gifts, that is, people who are living with the challenges of HIV/AIDS.  They had this impulse and, most importantly, they acted on it.  This impulse and their subsequent action is what brought all of us together that day.

We have a print of a Margaret Mead quote hanging outside of our office kitchen:  “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has.”  These new volunteers are exactly that -- a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens who will not only change the worlds of the people they serve, but as Margaret Mead's quote illustrates, they will be a part of changing the world.

Cherie Schumacher
Volunteer Program Director
Rosehedge/Multifaith Works