Tuesday, February 13th marked the first official Discover GRACE! We’ve been looking forward to this event, and are looking forward to many more. If you haven’t heard of Discover GRACE, let us tell you what it’s all about!
The goal is simple: We want to share our mission and stories with our community, and to hear from them their ideas and history with GRACE in return!
Formerly known as our Volunteer Orientation, Discover GRACE is opening our doors and inviting in the community— not just volunteers— to a behind the scenes look at the work GRACE staff does— and how you play an indispensable role in all that is accomplished.
Here, guests will learn about GRACE’s mission and history, hear from GRACE staff about the work they do, experience a tour of GRACE Main, then regroup in the community room for questions, ideas, and if guests are interested, filling out a volunteer application!
And that is exactly what happened! Guests got to hear from Rebecca Cox (GRACE Chief Executive Officer), Jamé Scott (Director of Intake and Client Services), Shirley Roberts (Clinic Nurse Manager), and Kristal Gonzalez (Pantry Assistant Manager) about the work they do and the critical role GRACE volunteers play in helping them carry out this work.
Following the presentation, the group took a tour of “GRACE Main” which includes the Administration building, Client Services, the GRACE Food Pantry, Community Garden, and our Take One, Leave One (TOLO) box. This time around we were unable to tour the clinic, as they had an event (if that isn’t a testament to the love and dedication GRACE staff and volunteers put into our community, we don’t know what is). But be on the lookout for our upcoming Discover GRACE’s where we’ll take a tour of our Community Clinic!
Following the tour, the group headed back to Community Room B for an open forum. This part of the night is what Discover GRACE is all about— because discovery can’t occur if we aren’t asking questions and sharing ideas!
As the night came to a close, some guests filled out volunteer applications, some stayed to talk with Kristal, and some asked questions. For example, one guest (turned GRACE volunteer) asked how they could stay up-to-date on our biggest needs. We explained that for those interested in making a donation, they can check out our website, (located here).
But it got us thinking, “How can we keep our volunteers up-to-date on our biggest needs?” and now, we’ve linked our biggest needs on our Signup Genius, so volunteers can stay up-to date!
A minor change, but all that is to say that the questions asked and ideas shared here go a long way!
Thank you to everyone who came to the first Discover GRACE! We had a wonderful time sharing the love we have for GRACE with all of you, and are looking forward to many more! If you’re interested in attending, please register through this link here. For any questions, contact the GRACE Volunteer Coordinator at Volunteer@GRACEGrapevine.org
