Hi, my name is Justin Gertler. When I was a very young child, in elementary school, I remember participating in the March of Dimes Walkathon to raise funds to improve the health of mothers and babies. It was so long ago that I don’t remember how I got involved in that worthy cause … I only remember walking for miles and miles for what seemed like forever, and I felt proud every step of the way.
Fast forward 20 years and I was looking for new opportunities to help out in the community when I came across the Community Services for the Blind and Partially Sighted, which worked with individuals, families and communities to restore, maintain and enhance the independence and well-being of people with impaired vision, and specialized in working with age-related vision loss. I am not even sure if they are still around, but at the time they partnered me with an elderly lady named Dorothy who lived alone in an apartment in Seattle. I remember visiting with her, helping her read her mail, pay her bills, balance her bank statement, and lots of talking, since she was all alone most of the time. It was truly a special time.
My next adventure was Team Captain for the American Cancer Society Relay for Life event https://www.cancer.org/involved/fundraise/relay-for-life.html. “At Relay For Life events teams camp out overnight and take turns walking or running around a track or path at a local high school, park, or fairground to raise funds for the fight against cancer. Events are up to 24 hours long, and because cancer never sleeps, each team is asked to have at least one participant on the track at all times.” I was involved with this cause for many years and have wonderful memories of these overnight events, walking the tracks after midnight with luminaria lighting the way.
More recently I have helped at Friends of Youth https://www.friendsofyouth.org/, setting up the sleeping areas for homeless youth, and serving meals. I then shifted from working with youth, to helping the elderly through Eastside Friends of Seniors https://eastsidefriendsofseniors.org/ and also the Full Life Care https://www.fulllifecare.org/services/elderfriends/ programs. In addition to providing rides when needed, I was also partnered with folks whom I checked in on via phone calls and visits, and in some cases bringing groceries and helping with other needs. Not only did I feel that I was providing an important service in the community, but I also developed wonderful friendships along the way.
I have also been very fortunate to volunteer with WUUC’s Cares and Concerns Committee, United Way, and Domestic Violence Services of Snohomish County https://dvs-snoco.org/ . Last week I signed up to volunteer with the International Rescue Committee and am very excited to start! https://www.rescue.org/united-states/seattle-wa
Please take a moment to checkout these excellent programs, or look online at other options to find one that is meaningful to you and one which you may want to volunteer for! https://www.volunteermatch.org/