By Sheila Feldman Buckmaster
One Volunteer’s Story
Some people have an impressive knack when it comes to connecting with others. This quickly became clear to me with TIS volunteer Terri as I started interviewing her for the story you are new reading. Her smile and her eye contact clued me in. The experiences she generously shared with me sealed the deal. Terri connects. Please read on and you will see.
One day, years ago, Terri stopped in at a furniture/antiques store in Easton, where she found two lamps that she just had to have. With a twinkle in his eye and a broad smile, the shop owner congratulated her for choosing “the ugliest lamps in the store.” At that point she knew she wanted to get to know Scottie, who ended up becoming one of her favorite people
“Scottie was an amazing person. Everyone loved him. He had a motivating presence—everyone was happy to help him.”
Terri came to see Scottie as a mentor. He would encourage her to learn about his volunteer experiences—and to join in. Connection.
Terri grew up on the Eastern Shore, in Cambridge. She spent her higher-ed years in Salem, Virginia. At Roanoke College, a private, liberal arts institution, she earned a degree in psychology and social work, skills that were helpful in her parttime job as a bartender. With drinks in front of them, it’s easy for people to spill out their stories to the person behind the bar. All the better when they are met with a smart and compassionate bartender who was working her way through college. An easy connection.
Fast forward to the Gulf War.
Terri was married for only two weeks when her husband—who grew up in Easton–began military service in the Navy. He would pilot A-6 Intruder planes—supersonic attack aircraft. Yes, bombers. (Down the line, he would fly for American Airlines.) The young marrieds connected via snail mail.
With infectious excitement, the postman would show up at Terri’s house with letters from the Gulf—identifiable by their blue envelopes. On his route, he would deliver these letters to her first. He became a friend. Terri has saved the dozens of letters her husband wrote to her. He has saved all of her letters to him. They came with a lipsticked kiss. “I was such a sap,” she says.
Fast forward to Talbot Interfaith Shelter. (Well, make that “shelters.” With 14 rooms for individual residents, Evelyn’s Place now shelters 9 women and 5 men. Easton’s Promise is currently helping 5 families.)
TIS provides Shelter, Stability, Support, and a path to Success for families and individuals.
“Terri has only been volunteering with us for a year, but she quickly became one of our superstar volunteers!” says Laura Richeson, TIS’s indefatigable Director of Development and Marketing. “She is always ready to jump in wherever she is needed. We are so fortunate to have her as part of Team TIS.”
For one, Terri helps in the preparation of fundraising events. The most recent: Style For Shelter, a fashion show with models showcasing clothes from six area shops: Proof Boutique, Lizzy Dee, Berrier LTD., The Mercantile, Marc Randall and Charisma. The November 5th event at Dover Station was sold out early on.
On an ongoing basis, “Terri spends time at Evelyn’s Place, where she sits and talks with guests,” Laura says. It is these interactions that are closest to Terri’s heart.
“To be able to absorb someone’s pain, physical and mental, involves being comfortable in one’s skin,” she says. (Having the knack of forging connections also counts for a lot.)
“The guests are amazing,” Terri shares. “I admire their strength, their bravery. I think that everyone in this world is just a moment away from a bad situation.” The people with whom she interacts at TIS “give me so much,” she says. She is nurtured by her involvement with the people who generously talk about their experiences, hopes, and dreams with her.
Terri has something she wants to ask of one of the women she sits with. “Her voice is so melodic,” she says, “that I would love to record her reading The Giving Tree,” for my grandchildren to hear.” (She’s referring to one of the finest children’s books ever to be published.)
Not long ago, one of the guests, a young woman, told Terri something she will never forget. They were sitting at the kitchen table at Evelyn’s Place. This woman offered that she’d share bits of apple (she only chose those that were bordering on softness) with the squirrels in the backyard. “My friends,” she told me.
Connection.
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