Volunteer Spotlight
Meet Bob and Catheryn Oakland…
A legacy of volunteering
Volunteerism was modeled to Catheryn from a young age as her parents served their community through an organization similar to IVC. One of the women they checked on regularly gave Catheryn an ivy cutting, and its offspring sits on a shelf in her home today serving as a beautiful reminder stay engaged.
Nearly ten years ago, while still working as a lawyer at a busy firm on Bainbridge, Catheryn decided to follow in her parent’s footsteps. She knew there were individuals on our island whose unmet needs were diminishing their quality of life and she wanted to help. She reached out to Bainbridge Island Health and Rehabilitation Center and asked if there was someone who might benefit from visits, conversation, and connection. They directed her to IVC to sign up as an official volunteer and she was matched with a woman who, despite her desire to engage, was trapped in her failing body and had no family nearby to help.
Catheryn took the woman for scenic drives, occasionally driving her through McDonalds or taking her to a movie matinee or Christmas program. One afternoon the woman turned to Catheryn and said, “I feel like a human being again.”
This was exactly what Catheryn was hoping for. Over time the woman’s health declined and sadly, she passed. As sad as it was to lose her, Catheryn understood the impact she’d had on this woman’s life and was motivated to continue volunteering. Since then, she’s picked up a variety of volunteering shifts, sometimes working them into her weekly schedule before she retired by picking up a quick shift on her lunch hour or on her way home from work.
Her husband, Bob, watched Catheryn’s journey and decided to join her when he retired. While he’s drawn to the sense of purpose, he also finds it’s a wonderful way to “pay it forward.”
“I hope someday someone will give me a ride to the grocery store when I need it.”
Beyond paying it forward, Bob is collecting his own stories about care receivers who have made an impression on him. One sweet woman often gave him fresh picked flowers from her garden after her drove her around for errands.
Bob and Catheryn are currently volunteering through IVC’s Flowers from the Heart program. Catheryn arranges flowers in the morning and Bob meets her around noon to pick up arrangements to be delivered. They drive to designated delivery zones together to deliver flowers and take great joy in seeing how deeply this sweet program touches individual lives on our island. It’s a fulfilling way to pass a summer day, knowing that they’ve made someone feel seen and cared for.
If you would like to join IVC as a volunteer or are currently signed up and would like to re-engage after a hiatus or try something new, contact april@ivcbainbridge.org. Many Hands Make Life Work!