A Message of Hope — Volunteer Spotlight: 121 inc.
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] Abject poverty. Sex trafficking. Juvenile adjudication. Family desertion. Homelessness. For over 18 years, Scott and Stephanie Reid have witnessed the devastating damage these unfortunate realities wreak on today’s youth. Through 127 Home tour, a branch of their non-profit 121 inc., the Reid’s prepare and train student groups eager to bring hope to their hurting […]
Stronger Together Volunteer Spotlight: Eva Faria & Enterprise Rent-A-Car
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] Companies like Enterprise Rent-a-Car stand out in a world that sometimes seems overwhelmed by busy schedules and obsessive self-interest. Enterprise’s dedication to encouraging employees’ support of worthwhile, non-profit organizations has blessed the Mission for years. Eva Faria knows this more than most. For the last nine years, she has helped lead the Florida division […]
Cooks in the Kitchen- Volunteer Spotlight: Valentina & Guiseppina
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] For mother-and-daughter duo Giuseppina and Valentina, family is an essential pillar of life. When Valentina fell on hard times, her mother was there to pick her back up. Not everyone has such a supportive family. Valentina knew this and wanted to support other women facing financial instability who, unlike her, faced their battle alone. […]
The Mission’s Grandma – Volunteer Spotlight: Janet Doxtater
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] “Grandma” serves at the Mission’s Bargain Store every Tuesday. Her real name is Janet Doxtater, but “everyone calls me ‘Grandma’,” Janet shares. Over the past 25 years, Janet has become a Bargain Store staple, and her nickname indicates the devotion store visitors feel toward her. “Grandma” is family. Visitors are not the only ones […]
Love in Action – Volunteer Spotlight: Becker Bible Study
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Orlando is a metropolitan area where there should be countless ways to serve your community. Yet, Bill Becker and the men in the Becker Bible Study struggled to find a suitable place to volunteer after their previous organization downsized and no longer needed their help. That was, until Bill found the Orlando Union Rescue Mission. […]
Volunteer Spotlight: Jamie B.
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] Inspired by her mother’s legacy, Jamie volunteers at the Mission faithfully, assisting the same vulnerable neighbors her mother, Cheryl, supported — homeless women and children. Growing up, Jamie remembers volunteering with her mom, passing out homemade sandwiches and lunch bags to people on the streets. “She did not mind getting her hands dirty. She […]
Volunteer Spotlight: The Gobezies’ family time and community service
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] Reuben and Courtney Gobezie started volunteering with their family at the City Mission in Cleveland when their first two children, Grant, now 19, and Gaege, 17, were only three and one years old. Reuben, an orthopedic surgeon and founder of the Gobezie Shoulder Institute, was extraordinarily busy, but he was determined to spend time […]