Since I was full of verbal diarrhea last night, I will try and keep this short. Tonight, we came somewhat full circle in the Fosco house. Over the past six years, Cyndi and the kids have volunteered their time at the Kenneth Young Center (KYC), which is our community mental health and senior services organization. Every other week, they deliver Meals on Wheels to home bound seniors. When they first started, I used to go with them. But with my travel schedule and my commitment to my job, I have pulled back on this particular service project. I watch from the sidelines how much joy it brings my family to help the older adult population.
Tonight was the annual KYC "Volunteer Appreciation Dinner." It's an opportunity for the organization to thank the volunteers, break bread with one another, hear speeches, and clap--a lot. This year, due to the economy, they had to scale back a bit. Instead of a plated meal of chicken and fillet, it was a lasagna buffet. No one complained. Everyone seemed to understand, and be thankful for whatever the evening offered.
I have not been able to join them at the dinner for the past couple of years. Last year was especially disappointing because they each received their Five Year appreciation pin. I had just started with Resource Systems, and we were just back from our trip to Denmark and Italy, so trying to rearrange my travel schedule was not the right thing to do. Luckily, this year I was able to join them.
Another new thing they offered this year (not related to the economy), was asking the volunteers to come up and speak in front of the 200+ people and share "20 seconds" about why they like to volunteer, or a special story about being part of the KYC family, etc. As you can imagine, not many people got up to talk. But of course, I did.
Lily had looked at me, and asked if I would take her up to the microphone to speak on our family's behalf. She wanted to see what it was like to be in front of the large crowd, but was too shy to speak. I knew there was no way Cyndi was going to talk, and Frederic wanted no part in putting a mic in his hands. So I did.
I got up, introduced the family, and got an audible amount of laughter when I lamented about being the only one in the family who does not volunteer at KYC, but the only one with the courage to put the mic in my hands. I received even more laughter when I admitted that there was no way I would be talking for only 20 seconds, and grabbed the bell the woman was using as a timer. I explained to the group how, when Cyndi and I were looking for an intergenerational volunteer opportunity for the kids, I thought about my stint at the Mesa Senior Center. I was a full-time volunteer after college, and I help set-up home delivered meals for home bound seniors. We wanted to find an opportunity to help with a program like that. I also expressed how being natives of our town, we understood how the KYC is also a large part of the Elk Grove Village community. When I was in grammar school, my family used the mental health services offered at KYC during an unusually big emotional "speed bump." I've often thought fondly of the help we received from the counselors at KYC.
It only made sense to make the Home Delivered Meals program part of our family's community efforts. The kids have grown up, understanding how important it is to help others. They also have a greater appreciation for the older adult population. This is something that Cyndi and I have been committed to, for just about all of our adult lives.
I was proud to share a tale about my family's involvement with the Kenneth Young Center. It helps show me and Cyndi that sometimes, we make the right choices.
No comments:
Post a Comment