Capital City Mechanical & Electrical, Inc. Lunch & Learn

At first blush, Capital City Mechanical & Electrical, Inc. might seem like an odd choice for an outing. This company has offices in an industrial park from which they dispatch employees who install and repair HVAC and electrical systems, usually on large scale projects. When we first asked if we could visit, our contact at the company - Holli Ingles - didn't know what a two hour visit would look like, but she was open to the idea and so we scheduled it. Two months after the initial contact with Holli at a Gwinnett Chamber Business After Hours at Medieval Times a group of 11 people from Hi-Hope showed up at Capital City's main office in Norcross and a marvelous experience began. We got a full tour of the facility, a demonstration on how HVAC and electrical systems work, some safety advice with regard to things like fuse boxes and then everyone sat down for a fantastic lunch from Panera Bread provided by Capital City. We wrapped things up with a quick game of Bingo to win some Capital City swag.

The outing wasn't complicated or difficult to plan, but it made a difference. In a small way it broadened some horizons, developed some new relationships and imparted a few lessons. That is what matters. To quote Laura Ingalls Wilder, "it is the sweet, simple things of life which are the real ones after all."

A Thank You Letter

By Nick Reynolds (Volunteer Coordinator)

I got a letter in the mail from a group of students from Greater Atlanta Christian School (GACS). You can see the letter in the image, but in essence, it was thanking me and some of our individuals for showing them a good time and "letting" them volunteer with us. You see, a group of students and parents came to Hi-Hope on April 21st and threw a Country Western Hoedown for our folks, complete with decorations, apple bobbing, temporary tattoos, crafts, country music and dancing. For a solid 2 hours, we rock n' rolled in the Lowry Building and it was all thanks to these amazing kids and their chaperones from GACS. And yet, here they are sending me messages like "thank you for everything you do," "thank you so, so, so much for letting us come and create the party. I had so much fun. Thanks for having us," and "thank you for making the difference you do!" Wow.

I will take a little credit for coordinating the dance - getting the space ready, letting folks know when and where it would happen, putting together the playlist, etc. - but that really doesn't take much. Still, it really made my day to get this letter, to be recognized for playing the very small role that I played in this whole thing. Now I want to flip the script and turn the attention to the school. What and amazing place! They do stuff like this for us at least twice a year and it is always a huge, over the top, memorable event. If they do a dance, they do it all the way. If they do crafting, it is crafting to the max with snacks and music (and they always bring a sugar free option so no one is left out). They are outgoing, engaging, social, kindhearted, and smart. It is a joy to work with the school. So, it is just icing on the proverbial cake - a very, very big cake - when they follow up a great volunteer event by sending a "thank you" note. 

I will wrap this post up by focusing on a message in the bottom left-hand corner. It says, "thank you so much for giving us the honor of working with such wonderful people! Tell Betty her best friends love her and we'll never forget her." Betty came in my office as I was reading this and I showed her that message. She looked at me and said, "THOSE KIDS ARE SOOOOO SWEET!"

Lawrence's Birthday

We had quite the day - volunteers from Emory University came by to help celebrate Lawrence's birthday and participated in some bingo and movie watching - Back to the Future. The activities, party favors, cake and ice cream and all around enjoyment was graciously provided by one of our newer, Adopt-A-Group Home volunteers - Jennifer. She has been steadily building a relationship with the gentlemen of Willis House through the marvelous medium of movies. Turns out Jennifer shares a passion for those classic action/adventure flicks that we all grew up with and has been regularly visiting Willis to screen the movies and talk about them over some popcorn. This activity has been a huge hit with the fellas at Willis and they now regularly inquire after Jennifer. Thus far she has show Star Wars, Indiana Jones, and Back to the Future, but has already booked future visits. We are super happy to have her on board, especially because she stands as the perfect example of how fun and easy volunteering can be with us. Stop by, watch a movie you love, and share the enjoyment with a couple of wonderful guys. It's definitely good stuff!