Lipscomb student given House of Mercy's Student Volunteer of the Year award
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| Sandy Ramos (left) presents Elizabeth Gay with the House of Mercy's Student Volunteer of the Year award |
Gay was given the award because she "showed a true spirit of the heart," said Sandy Ramos, vice president of the board of directors for the House of Mercy. "She became involved with volunteering for the House of Mercy while president of Pi Kappa Sigma, a girls' service club at Lipscomb. She spent countless hours recruiting other volunteers from the club and other friends to help us meet our needs at the House of Mercy," she said.
"It often seems that we live in a 'me first' world, which is why Elizabeth stood out. She always asks 'what else can I do to help you' because her focus is on others before herself. That spirit made her the most deserving recipient of this year's 1st annual Student Volunteer of the Year award."
Gay's involvement began when she agreed to recruit and organize volunteers for the House of Mercy's fundraiser/gala. Some of the volunteers worked the silent auction during the fundraiser and others stayed at the House of Mercy houses to baby-sit so the moms could attend the dinner.
"From that point on, anytime I needed help, I called Elizabeth," said Ramos. "She organized volunteers for our mom's day out program, once a month, and found volunteers for three weekends to paint the outside of our houses as well as volunteers to put up a fence. It was a huge undertaking that I could not have accomplished without her help."
For Gay, her experience helping the mothers and staff at House of Mercy showed her that the "little things" matter most.
"Sometimes I felt like I wasn't doing much at all to help out," she said. "I didn't realize at first that the two hours I took from my day to baby-sit provided the chance for these mothers to take care of important business in their lives or just to have some time alone. Something that didn't seem to be that big of a deal to me was actually a really big deal to those mothers.
"I was extremely flattered and honored when I found out that I was being given this award. The message of thanks sent through this award along with seeing how much my seemingly small contribution to the House of Mercy actually helped them has helped me to see that the small things really matter. It is important to continually figure out ways to help other people, even if it seems small or insignificant. The small sacrifices sometimes make the most difference."
The House of Mercy is a transitional home for women who are recovering from drug and alcohol addictions and who need a safe place to live in community with other recovering women. It is a facility for mothers and children, which accommodates eight families in two houses in West Nashville. Each family has its own bedroom while sharing living spaces with other families. Mothers live there for about 18 months while attending substance abuse treatment programs, GED programs and job training programs. The purpose of the program is to keep Moms with their children while they gain self-sufficiency, according to the House of Mercy website.
For more information about the House of Mercy's Student Volunteer of the Year award, contact Ramos at 615.370.8526 or through email at songmom [at] comcast.net. For more information about Pi Kappa Sigma's volunteer involvement in the community, contact Leanne Smith at 615.279.5969 or through email at leanne.smith [at] lipscomb.edu.