Volunteer Spotlight: Erica Freeman

Erica Freemans’ empathy, wisdom, smarts, connectedness, dedication to the Help Line and Shelter, and her articulate and inspirational messaging at outreach events are all reasons why

she has been selected as a stand-out volunteer!

Erica recently took a moment to answer some of our questions for this volunteer spotlight!

Q. What’s a typical volunteer shift like for you? - Until this fall it would have been impossible to describe a "typical" shift, as I used to volunteer at NB in several capacities: Helpline phone worker, CAP advocate's assistant, shelter assistant, data entry assistant, and community discussion volunteer. I've even helped with the holiday gift-giving preparation. So that's a lot of experience to try to reduce to a "typical" shift. These days, though, now that I'm in grad school again full-time and working part-time, most of my volunteering at NB centers on my Helpline work (with occasional forays into public speaking!). The Helpline is my first love for reasons that go beyond my experiences at NB, but everyone on the NB staff helps make my hours on the Helpline some of my very favorite moments each week. Without a doubt, I come to CAP early on Friday mornings eager to enter the phone room, answer calls, and engage with staff. On a typical Helpline shift, I answer several calls that range from CAP screenings to intense crisis intervention. Perhaps best of all are the moments between calls, when Becky (and others at CAP and Admin) and I catch each other up on our weeks, tell ridiculous stories, draw silly pictures, write inane things on the white board, and, of course, laugh so much while doing all of these things. It's the balance between meaningful, "serious" work and playfulness that makes each of these shifts so invigorating!

Q. What’s the best thing that’s happened to you while volunteering? - Coming in to shift last week and finding the hand-drawn announcement that I am volunteer of the month! The fall quarter at SU is drawing to a close, and I've been working constantly on everything - school, job, basic self-care -- I didn't even realize that I needed some encouragement and positive feedback. It felt so great to be recognized! And it was so unexpected!

Q. What do you want to say to people who might be interested in volunteering? - Quite often this fall we've had new volunteers "shadow" Helpline while I'm on shift, so I have had plenty of opportunities recently to engage with this question. So often new or potential volunteers wonder with trepidation whether they have "what it takes" to be a volunteer with a DV organization - especially the Helpline. I remember those fears well, as I, too, was once a Helpline "newbie," back when I started my first Helpline gig at NEDA. At that time, the phone suddenly seems like the most terrifying object in the known universe, and the hypothetical caller you have in mind has a whole litany of questions for which you have no answers and a crisis situation so intense that there is no way you can helpfully intervene. These fears are not to be discounted, and there's no doubt that Helpline work can be challenging. Nevertheless, what I like to tell people is that listening, even the special kind of active listening we practice on the Helpline, is basic to being human. It doesn't take an expert or an extraordinary person to be a great phone worker - we all have that potential within us. WE, actually, are our biggest obstacles when we strive to do this work well. We often think, I have to watch myself, I have to stay ahead of the caller, I have to make sure I'm applying all the training skills properly, I have to know all the answers, and we therefore remain very self-concerned. Yet, the most powerful and effective calls I've had at NB and in other phone-work situations are those in which I am not self-concerned. These are the calls in which I'm so drawn into what the caller is saying, that I am entirely focused on her. How is this possible? The way I understand it, is that when we are other-focused (as opposed to preoccupied with self), we are more open to perceive the caller's emotional reality and can respond to it naturally. It's not easy to stay other-focused, which is actually another reason why I love this work: to be the kind of phone interventionist I want to be, I have to work on myself. The task of the Helpline demands that I become the very best version of myself. But it's not all self-work - I learn so much from callers (and staff!), and so I routinely come out of shifts feeling as though I've been given so much more than I have been able to give to others. The sense of satisfaction, of doing something meaningful and essential on an individual level, is unmatched. I am fortunate to be able to say that I do many things I enjoy in my life right now, but nothing tops my experience of taking these calls.

Q. What brought you to volunteer in the DV field? - The short answer is, my desire to make meaning (and beauty) out of my own experience has brought me to NB as a volunteer. My own life and that of one of my sisters has been touched by domestic violence. After some time and distance from those situations, I began to want to put that experience to use. Working within this organization, and, specifically, talking with women who feel alone and trapped in their suffering, felt like the most profound way to create "good" out of something awful.

Q. What’s one thing New Beginnings’ staff doesn’t know about you? - At present I am working on not just one but TWO master's degrees. In addition to working toward my M.A. in clinical psychology at SU, I'm completing (remotely) the requirements for a terminal master's from a program at Notre Dame I had started (and left) before moving out here to Seattle.

Thank you, Erica, for your hard work and dedication to New Beginnings!

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Volunteer Spotlight: Theresa Mottet

Theresa Mottet has been a truly cherished and reliable volunteer for over 19 years. Her unwavering dedication to support New Beginnings work to end domestic violence is inspirational for many. After starting the first auction many years ago, Theresa is still involved in raising vital funds for survivors of domestic violence through New Beginnings’ annual Gala & Auction, where she recently served as the Procurement Chair. Theresa continues to procure amazing items for our Live Auction line-up and is a great teacher for others, always sharing her valuable tips.

What do you do as a volunteer at New Beginnings and what’s your favorite part about volunteering here?

Over the last 19+years, I’ve been a volunteer at New Beginnings, commencing with the auction originally manifested by Seattle Women in Travel. As the elected president, I took on the role of chairing their mutually beneficial fundraising auction, having not been to one. It was baptism by fire and a series of angelic beings that showed me the way. It was the first year we had chosen to use an auctioneer. Jeff Stokes, owner of Stokes Auction, was another presence with the generosity of spirit to offer heaps of support and guidance. It turned the dial on the monetary gain for both non-profit organizations. Seattle Women in Travel retired the organization at which time I jumped the lines and became a fervent volunteer. This based on the services of New Beginnings and the stellar group of individuals I met along the way.

Why is domestic violence an important issue to you?

Being asked that question at my initial involvement, I might have scratched my head. I tend to “just show up.” I do know that when I moved back to Seattle after having a business in the Bay Area, I found much later… a journal that spelled out, I wanted to have a dedicated position in the travel industry, so to have more time to work with women and children. Who knew then what would transpire. I was “given” a position as Director of Sales for Lindblad Expeditions, after long forgetting the journal. It was apparently, meant to be.

What do you know now about domestic violence that you didn’t know when you first started volunteering?

To be honest, I had not been physically abused however, emotionally. In hindsight, I was on my way to the next level. It all makes sense now with the awareness expanded as to how prevalent the issue is and a better kept secret?!

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?

“You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

If you could change one thing about the world, what would it be?

Honor and appreciation of the human spirit.

Anything else you’d like to share with other volunteers?

You give and you get, it is as simple as that. Choose your directed passion for giving and the rest will unfold in amazing ways!

Volunteer Spotlight: Tom Patrick

Tom is Shelter’s handyman extraordinaire. He’s always up for any task and can fix almost anything. Tom has been volunteering at the shelter since 1997 and has been coming consistently ever since. We’re grateful for Tom and his dedication to creating a comfortable and functional living space for survivors. We don’t know what we would do without Tom!

What do you do as a volunteer at New Beginnings and what do you like most? I am pretty handy with tools, so I fix things around the shelter and sometimes build things (like shelves, or maybe altering a room.)

What’s the most interesting thing you’ve seen at the shelter? The mix of people, including children and interesting staff.

What do you do when you’re not volunteering? I work for a Seattle mechanical contracting company (MacDonald Miller Facility Solutions) managing their fleet of over 300 vehicles. I also have a 21 foot sailboat and fly airplanes. I love to hike and be outdoors.

What do you know now about domestic violence that you didn’t know when you first started volunteering? I didn’t know that domestic violence was so prevalent and difficult to change.

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received? Focus on what you can change and try not to worry about the rest.

Anything else you’d like to share with other volunteers? Congratulations, on helping make a better society in your own special ways.

Happy National Volunteer Week!

We want to say THANK YOU for your volunteer service to New Beginnings

In 2011, here's what you helped make happen:

• On average, 700 Help Line calls were answered each month
• 220 women and children were housed at the shelter & 64 at Transitional Housing
• 800 moms attended one of five support groups offered each week or meet with their advocate while you provided childcare
• 4,000 children and adults were educated on domestic violence through tabling, special events, middle school groups or trainings

Please enjoy this slideshow we put together in honor of you. Thank you for being there for those experiencing domestic violence. We could not reach as many families without your support.

Warmly,

New Beginnings’ Volunteer Supervisors

Volunteer of the Month: Shelley McIntyre

Shelley is my Tuesday evening pick-me-up. She comes to shelter enthusiastic and energized, always looking for a way to contribute. She is what allows me to have a group in the evening, by watching the phones and the door, and even entertaining kids while their Moms are in group with me. She will do anything from filing to painting with the kids, and never says “no” to a project. If we don’t have something in mind for her to work on, she will find it! She is also keenly aware of our needs, and fills them by bringing in clothes donations (and even fashion consulting with residents), stocking our art supplies, and even fueling us with cookies on really tough nights. Shelley is a shelter goddess!    –Shelter Women’s Advocate

What do you do as a volunteer and what do you like most?

Each week I come to the emergency shelter to answer the crisis line, run errands for the residents, and help out wherever needed. My favorite thing to do is to host painting parties with the kids. It's a time that they can express themselves creatively and talk about things in a safe environment.

What do you do when you’re not volunteering?

I work at a little consulting company on a giant educational technology project.

What do you know now about domestic violence that you didn’t know when you first started volunteering?

That DV can affect everyone from all classes and backgrounds. I've talked to women on the phone and at shelter who had degrees in psychology, who had worked as counselors themselves, who have counseled other women about DV. It can happen, and sometimes the biggest challenge for women is to recognize the DV, stop judging themselves, and take steps to get safe.

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?

Question your assumptions, not your instincts.

Anything else you’d like to share with other volunteers?

Volunteering at New Beginnings each week is incredibly fulfilling, and I love having direct contact with clients. If you're just finishing up your training, plan on making a volunteer shift part of your calendar. It's a time commitment, but it's worth it. And the staff at shelter and admin truly appreciate your efforts.