When Lillian first found Lubbock Impact, she was simply looking for a place to serve. After volunteering in the spring, she quickly discovered that Lubbock Impact was somewhere she wanted to return. So, when staff members and even several of the children asked her to come for Summer Camp, she couldn’t say no.
What started as an opportunity to volunteer quickly became something much more meaningful. Lillian’s favorite part of Summer Camp was building relationships with the children, staff and other volunteers, and it didn’t take long for her to realize that those relationships mattered to the kids, too.
On her first day of Summer Camp, Lillian walked in to find big smiles waiting for her; children who were genuinely excited that she was back. “That was a ‘this is why I’m here’ moment for me,” she said. One child even told Lillian that she wanted to grow up to be a dentist, just like her. Another memorable moment came when Lillian told the children she would be joining them on a field trip. Their excitement made her realize something: she wasn’t just another volunteer to them. She had become someone important in their lives. And that, Lillian says, is one of the most important parts of consistent volunteering. “Even though some kids can be extroverted, deep down all of them take time to open up,” she explained. “If a new ‘random’ adult is with them every week, they aren’t able to build a stable and connecting relationship.”
That understanding is one of the reasons Lillian chose to continue serving with the Children’s Ministry after Summer Camp. Rather than starting over somewhere else, she wanted to continue investing in the relationships she had already built with both the kids and the staff. Her commitment has now led her to become a Core Volunteer for Children’s Ministry this fall. “Becoming a Core Volunteer has been such an honor for me because I always thought of myself as a person in the background,” Lillian said. “But now I realize I do make impacts big enough and consistent enough to have the title of a Core Volunteer.” (A Core Volunteer is a volunteer who comes on a regular and consistent basis, i.e. once a week, bi-monthly, etc). For Lillian, that consistency is intentional. She wants to make a substantial impact in one place rather than small impacts in many places. This fall, she is especially looking forward to watching the children grow as they navigate a new school year.
Her time of volunteering has also changed the way she sees Lubbock Impact. She expected to simply show up and complete a job. Instead, she found people who genuinely care about the programs and the people they serve. “Volunteers serve with intention,” Lillian said.
Perhaps that’s the heart of Lillian’s story. She showed up to serve, but she stayed because of the relationships. She came expecting to give her time and discovered that she would gain a new perspective on the youth of Lubbock, learn about their lives and experiences, and become someone they could count on. When asked to describe her experience at Lubbock Impact in three words, Lillian chose connecting, pivotal, and fulfilling. And now, as she continues serving this fall, the kids get something just as meaningful in return: someone who keeps showing up.