Local volunteers put their faith to
work
By Chad Eldred
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| Debra Forsberg (left) scans the grocery
list made by Rosella Clausen during a Tuesday trip
to Cub Foods. Forsberg, a Monticello resident,
began volunteering with Faith in Action in
October, and this was her first meeting with
Clausen, also a Monticello resident. The
organization provides various services for seniors
and people with disabilities in the area. (Photo
by Chad
Eldred) | | While some just
talk, others take action, and the latter is exactly what
members of the Faith in Action of Wright County are
doing.
The program, started locally four years ago, is
designed to help the elderly and disabled throughout the
county remain independent in their homes or apartments.
Volunteers with the organization offer to drive the elderly or
disabled (known as care receivers) to medical appointments or
the grocery store and will sometimes do yard work and minor
house repairs.
Hannah Lefstad, program director for
Faith in Action of Wright County, joined the program in
September of 2005.
Lefstad, as a self-described "human
services person," said she felt called to join the
organization.
"It is very rewarding, especially when
you get to meet the people that you are changing their lives
and you see what all the hard work is doing, and it makes it
all worth it," she said. "They are so appreciative. You get to
know them and you start a relationship, and they become more
like your own family."
Lefstad manages the program, but
puts a large portion of her efforts into the financial side of
the organization by writing grants for state and federal
funding. The program operates on about $35,000 a year, with
funds coming from Minnesota, the Initiative Foundation,
federal dollars and area fundraisers and
donations.
Lefstad said the $35,000 figure was just
enough to get by, even having to pay only two full-time staff
members. The rest of its workforce consists of about 60 to 65
volunteers, which can be tricky, because the organization
provides services for about 70 to 75 care
receivers.
Allison Moser, volunteer coordinator for
Faith in Action since January of 2006 and fellow Buffalo
resident alongside Lefstad, said they try to match up their
volunteers with a specific person and task each
time.
However, Moser said, finding someone who is able
to drive or help out for an hour is not always easy,
especially with the growing number of seniors seeking
help.
"I have seen tremendous growth since I came
onboard," she said. "We need to get out there and get more
volunteers now, because we are growing in the other aspect
(care receivers), but the volunteer base isn't growing in
ratio. I am going to a lot more homes than I am training
volunteers."
The program makes its presence known
through bulletins and fliers at local senior centers and
churches, and Moser said they have collaborated a lot more
with area community action agencies. If volunteers are
lacking, Moser said she contacts area schools and youth
groups, where many students are in need of volunteer service
hours.
In addition to those volunteers, though, Moser
said any help, no matter how many hours a person could
volunteer, is always appreciated.
"I really see the
needs increasing as people are living longer and they are
living healthier and staying in their own homes," she said.
"In Wright County, we have noticed that there are a lot of our
seniors that have adult children that have grown and not
stayed in the Wright County area. So, we have a lot of people
that have adult children, where years ago in society they
would all stay in a certain mile radius and be able to help
their own family members."
Moser gave examples of two
women in the area who are benefiting from the help of the
organization's volunteers. Moser said there is a 96-year-old
Monticello woman who has been able to stay in her own
apartment and an 80-year-old Buffalo woman who lives out in
the country and maintains a flower bed and strawberry
patch.
Another senior Monticello resident benefitting
from the program is Rosella Clausen.
Clausen said she
heard about Faith in Action through another program based in
Annandale, and said she is grateful for the help.
"The
people are fantastic, and they have all been just wonderful,"
she said. "It is a really good program, and I don't know what
I'd do without it.
Moser echoed these same
sentiments.
"They are very appreciative," Moser said.
"Especially the ones that I have met personally, they know
that if it wasn't for some of the services that we provide,
they wouldn't be able to stay where they are living now, and
that concerns them. If we would ever have no funds left, or
our volunteers would all leave, what would they
do?"
Lefstad also emphasized the importance of programs
such as Faith in Action in a community.
"It is
important, because people get to stay in their homes for as
long as possible and they are not pushed into nursing homes or
assisted living if they don't want to," she said. "You never
want to see your parents go into the nursing home, but we all
have jobs, so it is not always easy for all of us to get over
to mom's and help her with the grocery shopping all the time
or to shovel when it snows, so I think that is why it is
important."
Visit www.fiawc.com for more information
about Faith in Action of Wright County. For information about
donations and volunteering, call 234-3586.
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