Why We Volunteer

Volunteers do the hard work of getting families home after disaster. HCRN is so proud to have worked with so many teams who decide to return and continue doing the work of Rebuilding Homes and Restoring Lives. This week, we had a conversation with Diane Jackson, a volunteer team leader who has worked with HCRN for a decade! Jackson and her team first served with HCRN on our rebuilding project in Henryville, Indiana.

Jackson and her team from First United Methodist Church Santa Rosa first became active in disaster response after Hurricane Katrina in 2006. Like many churches, Katrina was the first large scale disaster Jackson’s team would deploy to for recovery work. For much of the last two decades, the core of her team has stayed intact, and they have made it a priority to serve often wherever they feel called. The shared experience of serving disaster survivors brought them closer together as a church and as friends. The volunteer experience is about the connections volunteers make to each other and the people they serve, as much as it is about the work they do.

For Jackson and her team, HCRN’s operation was a great fit when they first came to serve in 2012 in Henryville, Indiana. Jackson said, “[We] had the best experience that we had in any of the places that we had been. It was more organized, it was more caring for both the volunteers and the people we were volunteering for.” This is such an important part of the work we do for our volunteers. We want to make sure they are comfortable, well rested and kept busy on job sites. The happier and more comfortable a team is, the more likely they are to return.

Another secret to the team’s success and closeness is Jackson’s determination to do a devotional and sharing session at the end of every workday. While working with disaster survivors, volunteers are likely to hear some incredibly emotional stories of trauma, loss and fear. Jackson found that when her team spent some time each day sharing the stories and the connections from each work site, everyone bonded more tightly. She said, “At first people weren’t so excited about meeting each night, but I insisted on it and it’s become one of the highlights of the trip.”

Every volunteer team is different, but that’s the beauty of this work. Every team, every volunteer, can make a difference. Jackson described the team’s philosophy as, “Talents are a responsibility, not just a gift. If you have them you need to use them.” But not everyone’s talent is construction work. Jackson acts as her team’s leader, but also as their cook for the week. She keeps them well fed, and makes sure that all the paperwork is in order, so that the rest of her team can be out on worksites rebuilding homes.

HCRN needs volunteers like Diane Jackson and the rest of the crew from First United Methodist Church Santa Rosa. You can make that same impact, create those same close ties, and make a difference in the lives of disaster survivors. For more information about volunteering visit our volunteer page or get involved by donating today.