#21.5. Roger's AHV Thoughts
To have a friend, it is necessary to be a friend. It is just common sense, but something that I recall reminding my students about each year. I am happy to say that this idea appears to be alive in the volunteers that are making friends in Louisiana as they rebuild some of the 200,000 homes devastated by the flooding last August..
The All Hands volunteers plan, gather supplies and tools, pack their lunch, then travel to their assigned site to spend their energy and their time being a friend to someone they might not even know. Just like a good friend who will drop anything to help...they put their lives on hold for a period of time to use their talents in service of others. Some work for a day...or three! Some arrive thinking they will stay for a short time and decide to stay for months. Many move from project to project...traveling from Detroit to Tennessee to Louisiana to Nepal...working with
All Hands for years! Everyone we worked with seemed to be energized by the project. They even cheered and celebrated when the project in Louisiana was extended .
Some of my best memories of feeling that I had done the right thing have often involved helping a neighbor or a relative in need. Helping someone move or fix something or just helping with a small chore has always put a smile on my face and a spring in my step. I like to think that being there for your neighbor is what we all should do.
Our family has always been blessed with good neighbors who stopped by to visit and they have often pitched in to help. The volunteers at All Hands are like good neighbors who have put their own plans on hold so they can reach out to distant neighbors in time of need. I never heard a volunteer complain about the work or the fact that there was no pay for the work. The satisfaction of knowing they helped was sufficient payment to buoy their spirits and lift them to do the next job. I hope to again be a good neighbor with All Hands as they do the work of reaching out to those in great need.
