February 16th, 2017
Last week I had the opportunity to shadow a shift of volunteers to see what they do. I knew that volunteers were integral in keeping the House clean and everything running smoothly, but I was not sure about what each volunteer group did. I was excited to take a more hands-on role in the House and to see what my three-hour shift had in store.
Once my shift began, I was given a red apron and greeted by the Hospitality Volunteers I would be working alongside for the first part of my day. We went over the checklist of everything we needed to complete by the end of the shift and then headed to the basement to get started. We loaded up a cart with fresh sheets and cleaning supplies and headed to a guest room where a family had just checked out. We made the beds with fresh linens and cleaned the room for the next family that would be checking in later.
Next, we went to one of the House’s 9 kitchens and helped with some food prep. The House had received a generous donation of bread from Rocket Baby Bakery and we spent some time cutting it up and packaging it into smaller serving sizes so families could take it on-the-go. After making up a few more guest rooms, I went with one volunteer to perform a family check-out. We ensured they had not forgotten anything and cleared them to head home. This was the most exciting part of my shift because I could only imagine how excited the family must have been to be able to take their child home.
I spent the second part of my shift with an Office Assistant volunteer who handled answering the phones, welcoming guests, and other small projects in the office. We handed out Milwaukee Admirals vouchers and greeted guests as they arrived, as well as sealed envelopes for a mailing.
Through my experience as a volunteer, I learned that, regardless of position or task, our volunteers are committed to ensuring that each family feels at home during their stay in the House. We are so lucky to have our 550 cheerful and dedicated volunteers who help make our House a home.
