Mike
Michael
John
Shyla
Bill
Chips
Kevin
Andy
Marianne
Amber
Sheri
Elias
Danny
Bob
Zuri (aged 4--today!)
Sophia (aged 6)
Rebecca (Zuri and Sophie's mom)
Jackie (Rebecca's mom)
Tammy
I believe that to remember a person's name signifies the value of that individual. "Hey, You!" doesn't seem to connote, "You're important to me!"
I'm just terrible with names. 10 seconds after an introduction, I've usually become fascinated by something else about a person and the name tiptoes quietly out of my brain unnoticed until I suddenly realize, with great chagrin, that it is as gone as though it had never been there. No footprints. I used to try to cover for this little problem (coughing fit). No more. Sometimes I even apologize ahead of time--in effect, "yes, I'm pretty sure I'm going to have to ask you again about your name, even though I truly believe that you are a precious and unique individual whose parents spent great time and effort to find the perfect and unforgettable name for the shining star you clearly are--but I can't remember squat. Sorry."
Mnemonic devices haven't helped.
But these days I'm putting my mightiest effort into remembering the names of the folks I meet on Monday afternoons. Those at the top of this page are some of the names I've learned so far belonging to the guests at Hospitality House. HH is an organization that tries to address the needs of the homeless folks in Nevada County. There are many more names attached to many more individuals--much work to do.
HH is not an overnight facility, per se. It's a small house in downtown Grass Valley--the parsonage of the Methodist church next door loaned to HH as a Welcome Center (pictured above). The WC is open from 1-5:30 pm 365 days a year. It's a headquarters, really. Each afternoon, there is hot meal (and unlimited snacks) available, access to social services and medical referral, bathrooms/showers, laundry, storage and a safe hangout. There are two to four trained or professional staff on site to counsel and manage the operation, plus two or three volunteers to supplement the staff and handle the food. I trained as a volunteer in August.
During the colder months, about 30 different churches in the area provide space for the mats and blankets on a rotating schedule. They also usually fix up a dinner and breakfast. This part of the program has generally run October through April. Due to some extra grant money, this year it was extended to include September and May. A bus transports the folks from the WC to the designated sleepover for that evening and brings them back to the Center in the morning. After that, they're on they're on their own until 1pm.
I joined up because I like all the folks I've met who are involved and because I love the stated commitment to preserve the dignity of each guest (our official term for the clients). And now, of course, I'm enjoying the interaction with all the different people I meet and hang out with from week to week.
There are two basic categories of volunteer at the Center: foodies (lunch bunch) and everything else. I'm an "everything else" vol who works the kitchen after the foodies have left for the day and who carries the key to the "bin room" where all the personal items of each guest are stored (in numbered bins), and performs any other little job from providing towels for showers to greeting a donor at the door to just hanging with the folks and keeping an eye out for any issues that might pop up.
So far, I've observed anywhere from 20 to 30 guests on site on any given afternoon. I've heard it can rise to as many as sixty. It's a small house and while the weather is good, we're at least able to use the little patio as a gathering area. Obviously, there's a dream for a much larger facility.
I don't know everything about the problem of homelessness and I certainly can't prescribe a general solution--the complexity is deep--but I like having the opportunity to plug into such a positive effort to help some local starfish (you know that starfish parable). I'm just a little piece of the big puzzle, but I like the picture.
It should be a place where "everybody knows your name".
