Our House e-newsletter September & October 2012 | Page 4

by Amanda Woods,
Communications Specialist (VISTA)
Our House is always grateful for all the volunteers we
can get, but as a high school student with a busy football schedule, it took some patience for Jay Hedges to
find a volunteer opportunity here. Having seen Our
House while tagging along with a friend‟s dinner
serving group in the spring of 2010, he‟d been caught
by Our House‟s positive environment and knew there
must be a place for him in it.

“

With no volunteer work available at that time that
would be suitable for a teenager, and with all dinner
services already claimed for the year, Jay and his
mom became monthly lunch servers for the summer
of 2010. Mrs. Hedges continued the lunches when
Jay went back to school in the fall.

”

In January 2011, Jay finally got his opening for the
deeper involvement he‟d been wanting. He signed up
for his school‟s winter volunteer project at Our House.
During the group‟s two weeks at Our House, Volunteer Relations VISTA Amber Hood noticed Jay as an
extraordinary volunteer and called him a few months
later inviting him to apply for a summer position at
Our House as a Pulaski County Public Service Intern.
continued on pg 6