By Carol S. Wolf

Hearts And Hands:
Faith In Action

By Carol S. Wolf and Sharon Catalano

It was as simple as a haircut and style. It’s something we all take for granted. What would it mean for a terminally ill elderly woman? And what would it mean for her family?

Tensions had grown between mother and caregiver, not uncommon when caring for an elderly parent. As their once loving relationship deteriorated with the added pressures of round-the-clock care, the daughter sought help from Hearts and Hands – Faith in Action, to ease the strain…

“Don’t I look pretty?” her mother said, beaming like a schoolgirl.

The mother had been transformed following a shampoo, cut and style from a hairdresser who volunteers for Hearts and Hands, making house calls to shut-ins. This simple event, repeated weekly, brought joy to both mother and her family as her final days drew near.

This is just one of many heartwarming stories that could be told by the dedicated volunteers of Hearts and Hands: Faith in Action who give of their time to help their elderly neighbors in their community.

“The caring in our Hearts shows through the work of our Hands as we live our Faith in Action.”

Last year at the After 50 Expo, a man told me about Hearts and Hands in Akron. I had not heard of them before. Last month, I called, they sent me information, and I met with Rev. Mary Ann Pula, Director and Sharon Catalano, Administrative Assistant.

Rev. Pula is an R.N. and an ordained minister. She has experience working with both chronic and terminally ill patients and their caregivers in an outpatient renal dialysis clinic and as a Hospice Chaplain in Maryland, before going on to minister in a parish as an Associate Pastor for Congregational Care in a United Methodist Church, in Akron, NY. She is also a cancer survivor for 10 years.

I was impressed with all the articles that Sharon had written for the Akron Bugle and invited her to share this column with me; she knows everything about their services and the many volunteers.

The Hearts and Hands mission is to serve the needs of the elderly, those with long-term health concerns and their caregivers in the underserved communities of rural Alden, Akron-Newstead, and the Tonawanda Indian Reservation. They strive to uphold each person’s dignity, improve their quality of life and enhance their ability to remain independent in their homes, by linking them with trained volunteers.

Five years ago, in response to the growing needs of the area, 10 local churches and one service organization joined together to form Hearts and Hands. The area they initially sought to serve consisted of a 50-square-mile rural community with a population of 8,400 people and with approximately 2,800 over 50 years old.

In January 2003, the Robert Woods Johnson Foundation awarded the coalition a start-up grant for a 30-month period. They have since received funding from The United Way of Buffalo and Erie County, The John R. Oishei Foundation, The Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo, The East Hill Foundation and the E & W Greatbatch Foundation in addition to money received from businesses, civic organizations and individuals.

Since then, they have grown to 19 in its Coalition of Neighbors:

• Akron Free Methodist Church

• Akron Fire Company

• ACTS-Alden Christian Theater Society

• Alden Community Church

• Alden Mennonite Church

• Alden Presbyterian Church

• Alden United Methodist Church

• Clarence Center-Akron Mennonite Church

• First Baptist Church, Akron

• First United Methodist Church, Akron

• Living Free Christian Center

• Newstead Fire Company

• St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church

• St. Teresa of Avila RC Church

• The Travel Stars

• Tonawanda Indian Presbyterian Church

• Town Line Lutheran Church

• Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church

• Victory Full Gospel Church

This program is the answer, when service, health and community agencies, and families, cannot meet the needs of seniors or those with long-term health issues. This program fills “gaps” in the existing services in an area where there is no public transportation and Buffalo is nearly an hour away.

Where would our communities be without these wonderful groups that provide so many benefits to our residents? This organization, in more than four years of operation, has supported nearly 230 families. In 2006, volunteers have driven more than 20,500 miles and contributed 3,090 hours of service. This translates into a value of $202, 400 in 2006 alone; a savings to these individuals who, in most cases, would not be able to afford the services. This value since the organization began amounts to over $395,600.

Their Goals are to develop competent, committed volunteers who provide assistance to the elderly and their caregivers who are oftentimes “burned out” from the time and attention these individuals might need. These services enable people to remain in their homes in a safe environment while increasing their socialization through contact with others in the community.

Research indicates that elderly people who remain mobile and socialized through individual and group contacts report greater satisfaction with life, fewer physical problems and a decrease in debilitation of some existing medical problems.

The agency continuously works on developing area-wide awareness and support for the Faith in Action program to generate referrals for services and to recruit volunteers to provide those services.

Services being provided consist of:

• Transportation for medical, shopping or socialization needs

• Grocery shopping and Food Pantry pick up

• Hair care – for shut-ins

• Minor home repairs and yard work

• Light housekeeping

• Friendly visits

• Referrals to agencies/programs for services that they do not provide

A volunteer’s motivation may vary, but they share a common trait: compassion.

Milly Lotz, a retiree herself, has been volunteering for Hearts and Hands: Faith in Action since its inception. She was recently honored for her dedication with the Volunteer of the Year award given by the agency’s Board of Directors and staff.

“It was really an honor,” shared Milly, a bubbly woman with a cherubic face. “I enjoy meeting and getting to know the care receivers that I transport to appointments. I can empathize with their situation; I’ve cared for a lot of elderly relatives over the years and know what it’s like to need help. I’m really happy to be able to do this kind volunteering, and it keeps me busy, too.”

Hearts and Hands is happy to have volunteers willing to give any amount of time, whether it is three times a week, once a month or just for special projects. Each volunteer is valued for his or her willingness to perform the many services of the agency.

For many elderly no longer able to drive, there are no family members to take them where they need to go. Family may live out of town or have limited time off from work to help transport a parent or relative to a medical appointment or the grocery store. Hearts and Hands can fill this need.

“Happiness is having so many people who care about us “oldies” and physically challenged. Thank you so much for all you do in our community,” wrote an elderly care receiver of the agency.

Maybe a volunteer came to put up the screens in the windows or picked up a prescription from the pharmacy or took the garbage out to the street. They’re all simple tasks, but can make a big difference for someone needing just a little extra help so they can remain at home in their later years.

The initial success of Hearts and Hands in the Akron-Newstead area helped fuel its growth into the neighboring community of Alden. And soon, Hearts and Hands will begin recruiting volunteers and accepting care receivers to a program in the Wales area. Each geographic location has its own corps of volunteers helping their local neighbors. They share administrative support along with materials to help train volunteers. The agency looks to be a model for other outlying communities that lack public transportation or local services for the elderly.

A not-for-profit agency, in addition to receiving funding from the United Way and other foundations or grants, Hearts and Hands looks to the community to help raise money for the program.

What could be more fun than a “Celebrity Waiters’ Night”? There aren’t any Hollywood starlets, but prominent members of the Akron community along with many of the pastors from the coalition churches, skip the red carpet and don an apron for the evening to wait tables at four local restaurants. The generous tips from their diners are donated to Hearts and Hands. It’s truly fun for everyone and its success is expected to grow as a similar event is planned for the Alden community.

Other fundraising events happen throughout the year. The weekly summer “cruise night” will find volunteers collecting change for the mileage fund, money used to reimburse for mileage when they help with transportation. Another local restaurant held a gingerbread house contest during the holidays. Diners were encouraged to vote for their favorite by making a donation benefiting the agency.

Hearts and Hands partners with other organizations, too. Volunteers deliver groceries from the Akron-Newstead Food Pantry each month to individuals who are housebound. Help with arrangements for transportation with the Erie County “Going Places” van or Rural Transit can also be made through the Hearts and Hands office.

As the elderly population grows, so will the need for these services.

“When I started volunteering,” shares Milly Lotz, “I was thinking that someday, I might need these services, too.” Hearts and Hands plans to be there for Milly and many others in the community by continuing to recruit volunteers that share that same compassion for their neighbors.

Hearts and Hands: Faith in Action is located in the old Denio Memorial Library, now the Newstead Community Building, at:

50 John Street
Akron, NY 14001
(716) 542-2226
www.heartsandhandsfia.org
Email: HHFIA@aol.com

A special “thank you” to Sharon for writing the majority of this article. She has a wonderful gift of writing and as you can see a real love for Hearts and Hands of Akron.

If you know of a successful program in your community or would like more information please let me know at mailto:caroldickwolf@cs.com