Ageless Giving at ChristieCare
At ChristieCare we are reminded every day of the crucial role that volunteers, donors and community members play in our organization. An especially inspiring reminder of the very real presence of civic mindedness in our community came recently when we received a donation from an unexpected source: a soon-to-be teenager. Samantha Handwerger, a twelve-old student at Waluga Junior High School in Lake Oswego recently contacted ChristieCare, wondering how she could donate a portion of her Bat Mitzvah money to the residential programs that provide mental health services for children and young adults.
Sam was touched by her experience this winter volunteering at a ChristieCare “cultural night” during which the residents learn about different cultures and beliefs in a relaxed, family setting. The event Samantha attended focused on Judaism, the belief that she and her family identify with. In addition to helping cook a traditional Jewish meal, Samantha also played dreidel with the residents, answered questions about her faith and enjoyed that perennial teen-age activity, “hanging out.” Samantha summed up the experience succinctly, “The kids just seemed like kids, just like me, like kids I would like to talk to.”
Community service and charitable giving are a given in the Handwerger household, as Sam’s mother Wendy, who works with National Charity League, says, “We really feel lucky to be able to do it.” Samantha’s donation was especially meaningful because it was just one aspect of her overall generosity; this week she and her mother are excited to begin volunteering as reading-circle leaders at ChristieCare’s Children’s Receiving Center.
With ChristieCare’s central campus located next to the retirement community, Mary’s Woods, and a growing presence from civic clubs, university students, religious charity groups and now pre-teen volunteers, ChristieCare is proud to be supported by volunteers spanning the generations. Cultivating younger volunteers and donors is always a priority, especially because of the one-on-one connection they can provide to our residents; after all, as Sam says, “They are kids, just like me.” Our volunteers and donors constantly impress us at ChristieCare, but we felt that this was an especially noteworthy donation from a young donor with a very grown-up soul. A true Mitzvah.
For information on volunteer opportunities at ChristieCare, please call 503-675-2206 or email: volunteer@christiecare.org
Photo: Samantha Handwerger in the rose garden outside ChristieCare’s historic administrative building on June 16, 2008.