Why I Volunteer at Jacob’s Well

Volunteers gather at Jacob's Well. Photo by Steven H. Robinson.

By Sue Pool

I am a 61 year old woman, with very little experience constructing buildings. So why would I volunteer to help build an apartment complex for strangers?

The answer lies in trying to do things locally. I have traveled to foreign countries and to far locations in the US on mission trips, to build houses and to promote good will. All of this is well and good, but I have had a yearning to make a difference closer to home.

When I first heard about Jacob’s Well through our church, I was intrigued. I felt empathy for those women who were scrambling to hold it together for their children while living in the streets, in their cars, or in garden sheds. I could not begin to imagine what it must have been like for them to be rootless.

Church volunteers at groundbreaking.

I helped with some fund-raisers, worked on preparing the foundation for the building, and contributed money myself to this cause.

When our church was asked to lead a worship service at the Jacob’s Well building site, I readily jumped in. At the service, Ellen, a woman who had been helped by Vision House, which is the founding ministry for Jacob’s Well, told her story. It moved me deeply. This lovely, articulate woman, found herself locked out of her house by an abusive husband, and struggled to find shelter for her young child and the baby she was carrying. She was rescued by Vision House, given the help she needed, not only in order to survive, but also to find a job, and get established on her own. She is a walking ambassador for what Jacob’s Well could be in our community.

And so I am working on Saturdays to provide care for the most vulnerable of our society, single moms who need a boost and a fresh start. Our community needs this kind of place. And I am privileged to be a part of it.

 

To volunteer during a Saturday in April, go to the Vision House website: NoHomelessKids.