Louisa Spier,
Art Class Volunteer and
Personal Services Volunteer
I have been volunteering during one lunch hour a week in the LightHouse Arts & Crafts class for a year and a half and count myself lucky to have been inspired by the warmth, creativity and good spiritedness of the clients who come to class.
I don't know if it's a testament to the healing power of art, or of those who love it, but despite their challenges I always find the LightHouse clients who attend art class to have caring and generous spirits and to always be ready for a good laugh. In my duties as an art class volunteer on Wednesday afternoons I have assisted people with a whole range of visual impairments as they explore and enjoy working with ceramics, other sculptural materials, paint, needlework, sewing, collage and even jewelry making. Being witness to their creative process, and joining in the fun myself as I help fetch brushes, rinse cups, find scissors and thread, read the labels on the bottles of glaze and lend them my eyes in other useful ways has inspired me over and over in the last 18 months to start crafting in my own free time. It has removed the mystique and pressure I may have had about trying to make something "good" and given me license to simply enjoy the process of making things on my own. Since volunteering in art class I've made ceramic gifts for friends, begun collaging, and making my own jewelry. I'm not sure if I would've found my way there without experiencing first hand the joy the LightHouse clients emanate despite their odds.
Because of the positive experience I've had in Art class, in recent months I have also begun working as a personal services volunteer assisting an elderly woman with macular degeneration in her home by reading her mail to her, helping her with her filing system in her home office, returning her books on tape in the right cases, and generally enjoying each other's company. I have tremendous admiration for Marian, living on her own despite her limited vision, and having the smarts and courage to manage her own affairs. She is quickly changing my perspective on aging, and just being around her is giving me the bravery to face the challenges of senior living I may one day encounter myself.
Working with the blind and visually impaired at the LightHouse has genuinely brightened my outlook on life. No matter how stressed out I might feel before going, when I return from an hour or two spent with the warm and appreciative clients at the LightHouse, I can always count on my heart beating a little bit freer and more joyfully afterwards!
-- Louisa Spier
