It’s impossible to fully communicate the value of our volunteers through facts and figures alone. But as we look at the numbers that sum up the many ways individuals and groups gave of their time and talents last year, we can’t help but be encouraged.
Last year, The Well Community was blessed by 260 volunteers who put in nearly 3,000 hours of service. According to the Corporation for National Community Service, each volunteer hour provides a value of $23.56 to a nonprofit organization. By that measure, those who volunteered in 2016 contributed the equivalent of over $67,000!
Our volunteers are a diverse group with one thing in common: They want to help people who deal with the daily struggles of mental illness. They include retirees like James Barclay, a former police officer and member of Cliff Temple Baptist Church who shows up every Tuesday to help in the Community Life Center, and Ann Tabony, who teaches art to Well Community members. They include individuals like Margy Philips, who grocery shops once a week for our weekday meals, saving our staff an enormous amount of time. And they include families like the Arbuckles, who come all the way from Frisco to serve a lunch once a month. Mr. Arbuckle takes off from work and brings a colleague with him, and the kids join in when they’re not in school.
The Well Community also benefits from the service of members of organizations like the Christian Firefighters Association, who give their time to make repairs and improvements to Jacob’s House, our boarding house for men.
In addition, this year we’ve been served by the ministry of area churches, including Tyler Street United Methodist Church, Trinity Church, First Baptist Church of Frisco, Christ Episcopal Church, Life Temple Family Church and Pathway to Life Center of Hope Church. Some of our volunteer groups, like Joel Pulis and Friends as well as Jennifer Snow and Friends, come together to enjoy each other as they help out at The Well.
Opportunities to Serve—And Be Blessed!
Although our volunteers typically begin serving because they have hearts for those who live with mental illnesses, many of those who give their time say that they’re the ones who are blessed as they serve at The Well. The Well Community offers numerous opportunities to contribute your time and talent—and be blessed in the process! Would you or your church or civic group consider serving in one of these ways?
- Making/serving meals: Volunteer groups provide meals for Well Community members several times a week. Your family, church or civic group could lend a hand by preparing and serving lunch to about 25 members at our Community Life Center on a Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday, or by providing dinner for about 70 members at Thursday Night Life.
- Teaching/training: Members of The Well Community appreciate opportunities to learn new skills. Whether you’re passionate about music, technology or yoga, consider sharing it with Well members.
- Ministry: During our Thursday Night Life worship service, pastors and laypeople give their time to teach from the Bible and join Well members in leading worship. If you enjoy sharing from Scripture or using music in ministry, think about using your talents to help our members cultivate their spiritual lives.
- Service Projects: Are you handy with a hammer or just willing to work with your hands? Jacob’s House, our men’s boarding home, needs both routine maintenance and upgrades, and welcomes help from handy people and service groups.
- The Well Auxiliary: Last year, yet another opportunity to come alongside The Well Community came into existence. The Well Auxiliary was formed to develop additional avenues to serve The Well Community and to find new ways to help members prosper. Whether you have lots of time to give or just a little, consider joining as an individual or couple.
If you’re interested in volunteering, we’d love to hear from you! Contact us to learn more about how you could be a blessing to those in the Dallas area who live with mental illnesses.