LESLIE DOLMAN, Intake Volunteer
We often describe objects, people and organizations in terms of their function: Romero House provides housing, immigration and settlement support to refugee claimants, and a volunteer might tend the garden or teach English. But functionality is a thin descriptor, and at Romero, it barely scratches the surface. Perhaps more than anything, Romero House creates a space where dignity, mutual respect and understanding thrive—it’s as lively and palpable as a chicken coop.
I think everyone who spends time in this space—the families, workers, staff and volunteers—is affected, if not transformed in some way. I know I’ve been— it’s changed what I do away from Romero and how I relate to and make sense of the world. And it’s not just me. I like to think of Romero as having a ripple effect that benefits everyone it’s touched, directly or indirectly, through ever-widening circles of inclusion and empathy. At least, I hope this is true. Consider the potential impact for a moment. Romero has been operating for 33 years, the residents stay on average a year, the workers change every one or two years, and then there’s the staff and the roster of more than 100 volunteers at any point in time that come and go: we’re talking about thousands of people. Thousands of ‘influencers’ in the most positive sense of the word. Now, it’s true that all this churn can create problems: a task might not get completed on time or a step might be missed—things might not function as you’d hoped or they should. But that’s ok—functionality is only part of what’s going on at Romero.
If you’re interested in volunteering with Romero House, please look at the list of current volunteers roles on our website.