Community Stories

Barbara Findlay - Volunteer

“I could talk for three days about Benevilla”, declared volunteer Barbara Findlay, “Benevilla is so many things on so many levels. How much time do we have for this Mission Moment?”

While it is fair to say many may doubt the ability of anyone to speak for three days about Benevilla, it is also fair to say that many people may have not met Barbara. For those of us who have had the pleasure of seeing Barbara help in many capacities here at Benevilla, there is no doubt at all.

The fundamental question about volunteerism in general and Benevilla volunteers in particular might very well be, “Why do they do it?” It can be safely stated that the volunteer spirit in general is based upon a desire to give back or to contribute to a worthy cause. The desire of Benevilla volunteers we believe is a bit more specific and substantially more focused than perhaps the volunteers for other worthy organizations.

The Benevilla volunteer, as exemplified by Barbara, generally arrives here via different paths, yet with a very similar and fundamental experience. Quite simply they understand what it is like to be a caregiver, they understand that life and living can be enhanced and they understand that virtually everyone needs help at some point in their life.

As the eldest child in a family of ten children, Barbara learned quickly what it was like to be a caregiver. Helping out and caring for others is deeply ingrained in Barbara and she confesses to having a fascination with comparing the young and the old and hearing the stories of, “The road in between”.

As Barbara explains, “I get to see the participants at Adult Day Centers and the Wobblers, Toddlers and little ones…does it get any better than that?”

“Have you heard of Benevilla? We want to enhance your experience of life.”

“So many people, so many programs.”

“My personal mission is to change any reluctance that people may have towards utilizing the many programs that Benevilla offers.”

These are just a quick sampling of what we suspect we would hear if we invested the time in a three day conversation with Barbara. We also strongly suspect that it would be one of the better investments that we might make.