Lt. Col. Jimmy Doolittle’s quote from Pearl Harbor makes a lot of sense especially when backed up by real life stories like the one you’re about to read about.
We all know that volunteers have huge hearts and need no stirring up or much motivating in order to get them to jump in and help. Our gypsy friends from the poor community of Lazareni, Romania have been exposed to quite a lot of random acts of kindness over the years as a result of volunteer involvement. As always some conclude they deserve whatever’s coming to them while most learn to appreciate any gift or favor.
As a result of Proton Foundation becoming partners with Caleb Foundation and actively involved in assisting Caleb fulfill its long term vision a great opportunity arises. Gheorghe Galea on many occasions shared with the gypsy men in the village the kind of work volunteers are involved in through Proton’s Volunteer for Change program in southern Romania. One day they expressed the desire to be part of a team that brings change in a community. They were told that this would mean giving up a week of their time to volunteer and be involved in labor intensive work as they were to insulate a house. The details didn’t seem to deter at all on the contrary the thought excited them. They’ve seen the value of volunteer work in their community and were ready to treat others the way they’ve been treated.
On Sunday they started their 16 hour journey to Poiana, Constanta where they will be spending 5 days working. Benny who’s no stranger to HIP project in Poiana will be driving them and also work alongside them to complete the project. Mission Europe another partner of Caleb has also helped make this trip possible.
What a great story of how volunteers can make such a huge difference!