written by Deborah Schagen, Hands on Housing Program Specialist

“So tell me more about this Dutch breakfast,” he shouts to me across the lawn. Mr. Benson is in a wheelchair, but he doesn’t let that stop him from racing to the front porch anytime he hears a car pull-up into the driveway. It takes me a minute to figure out what he is even talking about, as I’m taking photographs of his newly painted home. Mr. Benson was one of our recipients for the Spring Blitz this year, so his home is freshly painted with the colors of his choosing. He makes me smile every time I drop by as he will dive into a conversation that was started days, or even weeks, before as though I never left. Not bad for 80 years old! Sometimes I will call him up to ask him a quick question and his response will be, “How about you come on over and we can discuss this in person over a soda.” It warms my heart to know that we are more than Hands on Housing staff to the homeowners we serve. We’re friends.

I’m reminded of a quote by Fred Rogers, “If you could only sense how important you are to the lives of those you meet…there is something of yourself that you leave at every meeting with another person.”