March 1, 2003
Curvy Woman in the Community: Helping the Homeless
In the Spotlight
Meet: ReBecca
Cause: Homelessness
Hometown: New York City
Age: 33
Height: 5′5″
Dress Size: 18-22
Profession: Corporate Executive Assistant & Part-time M.Div and Clinical Pastoral Education Student
Hobbies: Spending time with my husband & friends, visiting museums, reading, watching movies, playing with my cats & any other animal I can find!
When the moderator of Elegant Plus asked me to be the first “Curvy Woman in the Community” I was honored and jumped at the chance to share with all of you my love of volunteering in my community. This is especially important at this time of year because the holidays can be difficult for many people.
For me, the despair of seeing homeless people on the streets of New York when I first moved here in 1993 compelled me to take action. I was barely making enough to pay my own bills at the time, and I couldn’t continue giving away money I did not have. I needed to find other ways to make a difference. I started with the big, government run shelters. Quickly I realized that I did not feel comfortable going to the areas of New York City where they were located. Still determined to get involved, I next approached my church and found out that they had a program through the Partnership for the Homeless. I decided to join the program and began sleeping over at the church shelter one night per month with another volunteer.
You never know what will happen. During those years I was a museum administrator and then corporate executive assistant, but through my late night talks with the homeless men and women in that shelter I heard my call to ministry. One day, after beginning divinity school part-time in the evenings, I even met my future husband in line at registration. So you never know who you will meet and where life’s experiences will take you! Volunteering to help the homeless of New York is one of the best things I’ve ever done, and it changed the whole course of my life! I will graduate with my Masters of Divinity in May 2003, and hope to be ordained as a Unitarian Universalist minister in the next couple of years. At that time, I plan to focus on hospital chaplaincy full-time and leave the corporate world.
You too can make a difference no matter how little money or time you have. There are so many ways to give back to your community. To begin, think about what you love doing and how that would translate into volunteering. Be honest with yourself about how much time you can devote to the organization and make sure you feel comfortable there. If it is a cause you feel strongly about — be it volunteering at homeless shelter or helping out with the local Brownie troop – you can be sure it will make you feel great. And, it might even lead in some surprising directions!
ReBecca’s Favorite Web Sites
- Partnership for the Homeless (NY)
- National Coalition for the Homeless
- Volunteers of America
- Literacy Volunteers for America
- Best Friends Animal Sanctuary
- Volunteer Match
- Volunteer Stories
ReBecca Recommends:
Popularity: 6% [?]
1 Comment on Curvy Woman in the Community: Helping the Homeless »
July 2, 2007
Gary Geoghegan @ 1:33 am:
At least the website i was updating for your upcoming sermon. I was looking for a bio of yours to link to. As I am currently a monthly shelter volunteer, albeit well-paid and married, i like this one, but feel free to suggest a newer one.
Gary Geoghegan
default webmaster
CCNY