By: Tess Linn
When you think of Women’s Care Center, what comes to mind? Maybe you think of our compassionate counselors, supporting women through their challenges and directing them to a healthier pregnancy and life. Or perhaps you think of the Ultrasound technicians who see that first smile of a mom seeing her baby. If you attend any of our fabulous fundraising events, maybe you’re thinking of the smiling faces of our development team, or our fearless leaders in the mission for life! If you’re like me, you’re just thinking of all those cute babies.
But behind the hustle and bustle of our daily jobs, are some of our most cherished heroes: Our Women’s Care Center volunteers. From sorting through baby clothes and assisting with parenting classes, to hosting diaper drives or helping at our fundraisers, our volunteers take charge of so many vital tasks at WCC.
Having volunteers help us in the day to day tasks at the center ensures that our staff can focus on the mission at hand: building up the families of Milwaukee. With all of their energy geared towards the clients, our volunteers take on all the random responsibilities that are easy to miss. We are lucky to have a range of dedicated volunteers, some who come to help with an event once a year, to some who come every single week. Some of our volunteers are so dedicated, they’re willing to come in on a whim when help is especially needed.
Two of these volunteers are Cristina and Valentina, sisters from Milwaukee. The two have been volunteering for about three years. Cristina shared that, “We came here by chance, when a friend of ours invited us, but we keep coming back because we love it here. All the people here are amazing and we get to exercise our talents.” When Cristina and Valentina first started volunteering, they quickly became known for their organization of the “diaper wall.” There is a storage room at WCC where all of the donations, used clothes and extra supplies are kept. When our generous donors respond to a request for diapers, there are weeks when diaper boxes are stacked to the ceiling of our storage room. They are bundled into groups for clients, and stacked for easy access. Cristina noted, “My favorite thing to do is tackling the tetris of the diapers.” It truly is a work of art and the volunteers could spend hours there each week sorting through. Valentina states that despite the hard work, “It doesn’t feel like volunteering, it’s just a good time.”
Cristina and Valentina grew up in the restaurant business and continue to work as a family professionally. Despite their busy work at the Cubanitas restaurants, the two maintain that, “We are all called to help people, despite how busy our lives may be. Giving is better than receiving.” And this is a sentiment shared by a lot of our volunteers. Most of the volunteers we have currently are weekly or monthly volunteers who come back because of the atmosphere at the center. Cristina and Valentina beautifully articulated, “You feel so good here and can see the fruitfulness of the work here and want to be a part of it. Even though we don’t interact with the clients, we can see the change happening when we are here.”
WCC is so lucky to have such wonderful and kind-hearted people serving our mission. To all of our lovely volunteers, thank you! Your generous hearts stand at the heart of our life-saving work.
