When Volunteering Is Transformative

This afternoon, our PIMCO Foundation team of five pushed back from our desks, threw on jeans and sneakers, and drove 13 miles inland to Santa Ana. Once there, we joined Illumination Foundation staffers at the Santa Ana Civic Center to distribute tarps and ponchos to the chronically homeless.

What I saw - what we saw - stopped us in our tracks. Now, we've volunteered to help the homeless before. We've been to shelters; we've done the food runs. But today was different. 

Maybe it was the fact that there were so many homeless individuals. (And Illumination Foundation had told us it was a "light" day at the Civic Center.) As we opened the boxes of rain gear along the Walk of Honor, a line formed. Thirteen minutes later, all of the rain gear had been distributed. "It's supposed to rain on Sunday," we told those who hungrily grabbed blue tarps and yellow ponchos.

Maybe it was the kindness to which I was privy. I can't even begin to imagine some of the horrors these people have been witness to in their lives, but they took care of each other in such inspiring ways. The homeless individuals we met had nothing except the clothes on their backs, a bag or two, and each other.

Maybe it was the conversations I had with some of the homeless. We talked about the beautiful warm sunshine on a Friday afternoon. We talked about the upcoming Super Bowl. We talked about their dogs. And in the background of these conversations, I saw a child's tricycle. I saw two strollers. I saw stuffed animals, propped up against a makeshift tent. And my heart broke in a million little pieces.

When it's raining on Sunday, I'll be at home - probably playing Legos on the family room floor with my two children. And I will think of all those at the Civic Center who didn't get a tarp or a poncho because we ran out before we filled the need. What will they do? How will they survive that day? And what can be done? 

Our team left the Civic Center feeling numb. Conversation was a bit quiet as we drove south on I-5 to Irvine.

Twenty five minutes later, we found ourselves walking into the Joy Factory at the Jessie Rees Foundation. We were there to pack JoyJars for kids fighting cancer in hospitals around the world. If you don't know Jessie's story, you should. She was a 12 year old girl with an amazing spirit and a tremendous vision for what could be. 

I was asked to pack a JoyJar for a four year old girl in Arkansas. This sweet girl liked the color pink, Mickey and Minnie Mouse, and dancing. I found a pink beanie, Minnie Mouse socks, a plush toy, and a handful of other items. I stuffed all this joy into a clear plastic jar, and couldn't help but think of Jessie and the Rees family, and all the other families, and my own healthy children.

The Joy Factory is covered with photos of kids of all ages from all walks of life, fighting a similar battle to Never Ever Give Up. I looked at these photos, at the thousands of donated beanies and socks and small toys, at all the JoyJars waiting to be shipped, and again, my heart broke in a million little pieces.

On the drive home, my heart felt heavier, yet bigger. I won't pretend to know what it's like to live at the Civic Center, or live in chaos with cancer, but I know I have greater empathy for those traveling down those paths. I know that volunteering with Illumination Foundation and the Jessie Rees Foundation changed me today - perhaps made me more compassionate toward others, perhaps gave me greater empathy, perhaps gave me more humility.

This world we live in is chock-full of differences. It's rough and real. But if we seek out those who are different than us - and I firmly believe the best way to do so is through volunteering - then can't we all be a little bit kinder, a little bit gentler? Can't we understand each other better? Can't we care for each other better? Can't we be better?

I promise you we can. Volunteering is transformative; seek out those transformative experiences, and change your neighborhood for the better.