Meet Ms. Kathleen Harding! She is the former Service Coordinator at Lake Ridge Fellowship House and is currently an avid supporter of the organization. Her work with Fellowship Square spans a remarkable 38 years. During those years she worked with lots of wonderful people – one of whom was the legendary Dr. John A Scherzer, founder of Fellowship Square. Ms. Harding described Dr. Scherzer as someone who always had something to say, was very persuasive and had a twinkle in his eye. She also said he could, “…always make an impression on the residents and was one of the few people that could tell them the things they didn’t want to hear”. When asked about what he would think of his non-profit organization today, she thinks he would be very pleased with what it has accomplished.
Kathleen reminisced that one of the best things about working for Fellowship Square was getting to know the residents. As the former Service Coordinator at Lake Ridge Fellowship House, she said it was a common occurrence for residents to share food and conversations with her. Something important to Kathleen is knowing that others from the community will continue to nurture these valuable relationships. She mentioned that prior to Covid, one of the other Fellowship Square properties had a program where high school students would come and sit down with residents for conversation and friendship. She hopes that this program will be implemented again someday, as the residents have a lot of unique stories to share. She wants to emphasize that each resident has led an exceptional life and should have the chance to tell their stories when given the chance.
Her answer for others who want to become involved with Fellowship Square is to get to know the residents. Just talking to them is one of the best ways to help combat isolation. Among older adults, this is an increasingly challenging issue, and many seniors (including some at Fellowship Square) often have no relatives or close friends making social isolation feel even more apparent. Volunteering to deliver food, helping with an event and having conversations with residents makes more of a difference than some of us realize.
Donating is also a great way to help support Fellowship Square; even small donations can go a long way. There are many different reasons why someone might choose to donate to Fellowship Square, and Ms. Harding’s reason is to honor her grandparents. There are many things that residents need that can improve their quality of life (hearing aids, for example, which can help decrease feelings of social isolation) so monetary donations as well as in-kind goods are enormously beneficial. And of course, donating time and energy to the residents is always appreciated.
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