Seabury Spotlight | Barbara Burton, Volunteer
In the spring of 2018, Barbara Burton was perusing the Greater Brookland Yard Sale and struck up a conversation with members of the Home First® Residences & Age-In-Place® Advisory Council. “They were easy to talk to and they invited me to attend a meeting” recalls Barbara. She was nearing retirement and wanted to fulfill a personal volunteering goal. She also enjoyed meeting new people and wanted to connect more with her community.
Over the last four years, Barbara has remained a dedicated member of the Council. She creates gift bags for low-income residents of Home First® and participates in service projects— cleaning the homes and yards of local older adults. “My mother always encouraged me to help others growing up so, in a way, I am honoring her,” she says.
The experience has also been educational for Barbara, who has found that “People are more isolated than I thought.” She is glad that she and the other volunteers can provide some interaction for people who may not leave their house much.
Barbara always goes out of her way to make the people Seabury serves feel special. The gift bags she distributes to Home First® residents three times a year are put together by hand. She enjoys shopping for items that she thinks residents will appreciate because “They are special people. They still matter, and when I get old, I want somebody, from time to time, to remember that I still matter.”
To learn more about volunteering with Seabury, contact Grandon Purnell at gpurnell@seaburyresources.org.
