I recently co-chaired a volunteer event that brought together NAPO Nashville and the local IAHSP Home Staging chapter. We organized and staged the offices of the Murfreesboro Domestic Violence Program. This is a wonderful group that helps others, but didn’t have the time nor the skills to get the place in order so they could function efficiently.
I worked with Vanessa McPeak, Samantha Pointer, BJ Jackson and Tiffany Saizon of NAPO Nashville to get this place in shape. We had two rooms that we focused on from the organizing perspective (we left the staging up to the other crew). One was the file room where the staff not only kept all of the files but also all of the office supplies. It was really hard to find anything in there at first!
The file room was challenging but fun – our group donated lots and lots of bins, burned through several cartridges of label tape and worked our tushies off all day. I was exhausted the next day! Haven’t used some of those muscles in a while.
The other room our group was in charge of was the Sexual Assault Storage Room. This is where supplies for victims are kept, as well as items used for fundraising and education.
It was great to see the reactions of the staff – the best one was when one of the counselors came in for a pen – and could actually find one. The look on her face was priceless!
So it really made all of our days – it’s a great feeling to know that what you do can make a difference in the lives of others.
