Volunteer Spotlight - Ann and Bev

April is National Volunteer Month, and to celebrate, we’ll be shining the spotlight on several of our amazing volunteers all month! To kick things off, meet Bev and Ann! These two friends have been volunteering with us since May of 2024. They serve at our Front Desk where they answer the phone, help distribute resources, and help point guests in the right direction. Ann and Bev are no strangers to volunteering, having served in various roles at other local nonprofits for several years, but the one thing that’s remained the same through their years of service is that they’ve been doing it TOGETHER.

Serving our neighbors experiencing homelessness isn’t always easy, but Bev and Ann have learned and grown a lot in the year that they’ve been volunteering with New Visions. “When you look people in the eye,” says Bev,” it does a lot to remove any fear. You see them as human.” Ann agrees. “After Day 1 of volunteering, I have never been fearful,” she says, “but seeing people who don’t have a place to sleep at night or who go hungry day after day, it’s something you can’t just walk away and forget about.” The friends are grateful to serve together so that they can process what they experience and have each other to lean on.

Volunteering at the desk one morning a week, Ann and Bev experience a wide range of emotions when they are serving. “You can have tears and laughter, anger and disappointment, all in just a few hours,” they say. Some of their most meaningful moments come when they have a little down time just to talk to some of the guests that visit the front desk. “We’ve noticed that some people stop in just to say hello,” they say, “sometimes they just need someone to talk to.”

Over their years of volunteering together at various places, Ann and Bev have always tried to honestly evaluate whether their work was truly beneficial to the organization, and they have always pushed themselves to do more. In their current role at the New Visions Front Desk, they feel a sense of purpose that is very fulfilling. “Each step along the way made my heart want to do more and more,” says Ann. We’re so grateful that Ann and Bev’s desire to do more has led them to New Visions, and we look forward to seeing them faithfully serving our guests each week, TOGETHER.