Ever known someone who just chooses to go the extra mile? Every time? No matter what?
Well we do. A little over a year ago Anita joined us through Ignatian Volunteers. (If you don’t know about them, check them out!) Anita began working on the second floor with Responsive Services. She became quickly familiar with the programs of the Center, our clients and the ways in which we try to meet the needs of our community.
So… just being apart of this work is enough to warrant a blog post of thanks. But, that isn’t the end of Anita. Instead of two days of service Anita is usually at the Center four days a week. Sometimes five. She comes in early, she stays late. She has mastered a complicated program where we are able to help clients with utility assistance, and has been instrumental in facilitating hundreds of families to keep their electricity running. The words from her lips are filled with encouragement and thankfulness, and are always boosting the entire Franciscan Center Team!
Anita’s quick smile and bright eyes welcome you, and her keen, inquisitive mind attentively mines for details that perhaps others might miss. She is quick with reassurance, and takes her time.
Frank, a client, came to the Center for Emergency Food. Anita wouldn’t allow this man to walk away with just groceries. She has worked tirelessly to make sure that he no longer sleeps in an abandoned building. (Frank’s heartfelt story will be published August 29th) His is just one of many ongoing stories of people that the Center touches.
Today is Anita’s birthday. She arrived hours early, to help clients she had to reschedule after the earthquake yesterday afternoon. And, this evening, she is working late. Making phone calls, connecting clients to programs, and truly making a difference in our community. When she leaves the Center tonight she will stop by a hospital to make sure a client is mending well.
Anita would never call herself inspirational. Instead she points to the people we serve, and finds inspiration through them.
We’re grateful to every client we have the privilege to serve. For at the Franciscan Center, we get to witness God’s grace at work every single day — in all our lives. And we get to see first-hand the miracles as clients regain their dignity and rebuild their lives. -Anita
Our thanks dear Friend.
