March Volunteers of the Month – Faith Maestro & Celine Hovde
Meet our volunteers! Each month, we highlight stand-out volunteers and how they support families. For March, we spoke with a special set of volunteers who found friendship through giving – Faith Maestro and Celine Hovde.
How long have both of you volunteered with us?
- Faith: I have been a volunteer since January of 2022. I chose to volunteer every Wednesday and luckily found myself teamed up with veteran volunteer Celine.
- Celine: I have been at the house at CDH since June of 2015, just a few months after they opened.
Where/how do you both typically volunteer (House, event, committee, other?) and what do you usually do?
- Faith: We volunteer every Wednesday from noon to three at the Central DuPage House in Winfield.
- Celine: We work mostly in the food storage area. I do some traveling, so Faith has to carry my share when I am gone!
Why did you both start volunteering with RMHC-CNI, and what keeps you coming back?
- Faith: I started volunteering after retirement. A close friend with a child (now adult) son with Spina Bifida was offered the opportunity to be a house guest, and I thought, “What a wonderful offer to families with children in the hospital.” Once I started, I felt so lucky to have found Celine to volunteer with and overall to be a part of such a welcoming environment.
- Celine: Back in 2015, I saw an article in the newspaper about the house opening and that they were looking for volunteers. It has turned out to be a wonderful experience. I love having my partner Faith there with me, and the staff at the house is amazing! I look forward to being there each week.
What is your favorite memory or experience from volunteering?
- Faith: Watching a young girl staying at the house play the piano for us. She had many disabilities, but they didn’t stop her from sharing her love of music with us.
- Celine: She had major foot surgery and only had the use of one hand. She was amazing! It was so special to witness.
What does it mean to you to donate your time to our organization?
- Faith: Pride. I am so proud to be a member of such an amazing organization.
- Celine: Being at the house seems like such a small contribution of my time, but I know how much it means to all the families.
If someone was thinking about becoming a volunteer with our organization, what would you tell them about getting involved?
- Faith: The joy of knowing what you are doing may bring joy to a child, taking some small burden off a parent or grandparent is priceless.
- Celine: So many of the families are going through such a difficult and stressful time. If we can make that time a little easier, that is great!