A Servant's Heart

I am going to blog about something totally different today, something that I haven't talked about before on here. I'm sorry if I get too preachy, but it's been weighing on me for the last two days and I need to express me feelings here.

Probably about three or four years ago when I was working at a non-profit arts agency, I had the opportunity to follow up on a project we had funded at the local Council on Aging. This is an adult day care facility that provides stimulating activities and outings for the elderly with dementia and other memory loss problems. The funding we provided allowed the Council to hire an art teacher that specializes in mental illnesses for a six week art session. After they had completed the program, I visited the Council to see the art work and hear how the program had gone.
I was moved to tears as the administrator walked me down the halls where the paintings were beautifully framed and on display. Story after story of members who generally could not remember things, had a hard time speaking and couldn't write painted beautiful scenery and poignant events in their life and were able to narrate a caption to go along with the painting. One man painted a vase of his wife's favorite flowers. He said he gave her those same flowers every year for her birthday, but she had died a few years ago and these were the last ones he was able to give her. He even painted one in the vase wilting. The most touching story was from a lady who was diagnosed with a severe case of dementia. She hadn't spoken in almost a year and was living with her daughter. She painted a beautiful scene of the sky. When they asked her why she painted that, she actually began to speak! She told them that she had lost her house and everything that was in it to a hurricane the year before and it made her very sad. This was the view she used to see every morning from her house. It turned out she did not have dementia at all, she was just severely depressed! When her daughter came to pick her up and they told her what had happened, she started sobbing and was able to finally talk to her mom and get her the help she needed. All from a therapy art class!
I came back from that meeting energized about the job I was doing. Anytime anyone asked me exactly what our agency did, I excitedly told them the stories and showed copies of the paintings they had given to me.

Fast forward to my current job. I was thrilled when they decided that our company needed to get involved with the community and the people we served (we create software for nursing home and rehab facilities so that their therapists can provide the proper care their patients need) and that volunteering at the Council would be a good fit for us! I spoke to my supervisor about helping out with the program and shared with him my previous experience with the Council. He decided that I should coordinate the volunteer dates and recruit our employees. I went the first time, right around Christmas. It was such a touching and rewarding experience! We played games with the "club members" and I had the opportunity to sit with one of them and listen as she told me all about her daughter and her childhood. She smiled the whole time and kept asking when we were coming back. I thought for sure that when I got back to the office and shared my experience, it would excite the other employees and make them want to sign up. No such luck. It has been like pulling teeth to get volunteers. Every one I do get some to go they have a great time and want to go back, but it doesn't affect the others. If I do get them to sign up, they cancel on me the day of and I am short. I then either have to fill in myself, or beg other people to fill in. Today being one such event. I had one person cancel yesterday and another cancel this morning! It just proves to me the attitudes of the people I am surrounded by. Even though the president of our company expressed his passion for this program and it's importance, they just don't care. Their own agenda is just more important. We are even paying them for the time they are they!! They just can't inconvenience themselves for even just a few hours. Guess I should have offered Disney tickets.