Last week, on a sunny, warm evening in September, we held our incredibly successful annual Endowment Fund Awareness Raffle. Although the tickets said, “Need Not Be Present to Win,” a few people were there to watch or help with the event. It struck me how wonderful it was that one of our youngest volunteers, Haydn, was doing the drawing, while one of our veteran supporters, Martha, was also there, cheering her on.
Haydn is just seven years old, but we’ve honestly lost count of how many times she’s volunteered for Hunter Hospitality House or represented us in the community. We call her an HHH Baby, because her parents stayed at our McLaren Port Huron location when she was born 7 weeks early.
Martha Koerber is in her 90s. When she learned about our plans to open HHH in 2011, she asked for a meeting with me. “What can I do regularly to help?” she asked and suggested making cookies. “That’s perfect!” I exclaimed, with no idea at all that she’d still be making those cookies for us all these years, every week.
Recently, Haydn had a school project called a Bag Biography. She had to take 5 items that described things about her. One of them was a thank you card she’d received from me after representing HHH at the Fourth of July parade in Lexington. Her mother said, “Just wanted to share that your house made an impact on her even before she could talk.”
In addition to the cookies, Martha participates and attends all our events. She adopted a room at the 10th Street location, and with the help of her family and friends, furnished and decorated it beautifully. She’s a regular donor and an integral member of our volunteer team, helping with mailings, open houses and more. Martha is appreciated so much, we created the M. Martha Koerber Volunteer of the Year Award in her honor!
Haydn and Martha are living proof that when you find a cause you’re passionate about, you will find a way to do what you can, when you can, to support it, no matter what your age. We’re blessed beyond measure that they’re both so enthusiastic about HHH, and we hope their devotion and volunteerism is an inspiration.
Interested in becoming a volunteer? Let us know through a simple form on our website. How easy is that?
https://www.hunterhospitalityhouse.com/volunteering.html
Interested in becoming a volunteer? Let us know through a simple form on our website. How easy is that?
https://www.hunterhospitalityhouse.com/volunteering.html
