The Impact of Volunteering

A few years ago, Rebecca was a volunteer with her sorority sisters from Baylor Alpha Chi Omega. She was a student at Baylor and the work she did with Family Abuse Center was the usual kind of work that this chapter of Alpha Chi does for us.  They work with our kids.  They provide meals for the clients.  They plan special events for the families.  There is so much they do at Family Abuse Center.  They made eliminating domestic violence a priority.  We love all those volunteers, but usually we don’t know much about what they do when they graduate or leave Baylor.

But yesterday, Rebecca had an amazing impact on Family Abuse Center. Rebecca is the wife of Robert Griffin III.  She and her husband came by Family Abuse Center and surprised us with a major donation.  When they arrived in the parking lot, my first thought was, “How did they know our location?” Yes, there are many people in Waco who do know. To protect our clients, our location is confidential and private.  Therefore, almost no one just shows up at our shelter.

Rebecca knew exactly where we were located because she was a volunteer here years ago. Robert said that Family Abuse Center was a priority for their new foundation “Family of 3” before all the scandals this year in the NFL.  They had talked about assisting Family Abuse Center.  Why?  Because Rebecca was a volunteer here and she spent time learning about domestic violence while she was a student at Baylor University.  Alpha Chi Omega does more than provide volunteers.  They educate students about dating violence and provide support for students who might be in an unhealthy relationship.  They help Baylor students understand a world that may be very different than their own.  Baylor takes pride in helping students learn what their “mission” is in life.  Alpha Chi Omega assists with that in many ways.

We can’t thank enough Robert and Rebecca for their generous gift. This was a rare chance for us to be reminded of the impact of volunteering on the person who volunteers. What do they learn about the world outside themselves?  How many other of our volunteers are now helping eliminate domestic violence in their communities because of their experience here at Family Abuse Center?  We will never know.  But we are reminded to keep on opening the doors for those who want to help us with this important mission. Anyone who wants to volunteer should fill out the form on the Family Abuse Center website.  Our Volunteer Coordinator will get right back to you about the next trainings for volunteers.

Thank you, all volunteers for your work here and in the future. Thank you, Robert and Rebecca. We are now part of the “Family of 3.”

Kathy Reid

Executive Director

Family Abuse Center