By Kate Seegraves

With her husband at work and her kids in school, Katie Messer was in search of a daytime activity.

The full-time mom and Westerville resident decided to try volunteering during the week. In 2009 she visited the Westerville Area Resource Ministry (WARM), which provides short-term assistance such as food, clothing and other services to Westerville residents in need, to see how she could help.

It was during her volunteering that she learned of an interesting proposition: families, she was told, could volunteer together.

“That, to me, really took a tug,” she says. “That’s a really neat thing to do as a family. I came home and talked to everybody and said, ‘Hey, what do you guys think?’”

Now the Messer family – which includes husband Scott, who works for the City of Columbus’ Department of Development, 13-year-old Lily and 8-year-old Ian – serves as a cleaning crew for WARM, working on a rotating schedule once every four to six weeks. They clean bathrooms, vacuum offices, take out trash and more. Each family member has a specific job: for instance, Ian is in charge of the glass cleaner and dusting, while Lily takes care of mopping.

“It started out as a couple hours,” Katie says. “We were trying to get used to what we do and what rooms we clean, but we’ve got it down now. Everyone’s got their chores. We know where to go and what to do now.”

The Messers are a fine example of Westerville families who devote time and energy to improving their community. Katie says they continue their work at WARM because they all believe it is an important reminder.

“We feel so blessed. To have the opportunity to do a little something, cleaning toilets or whatever it is, helps us to keep perspective and feel like we’re contributing to a really great organization, something that’s really positive and helps people out,” Katie says. “Even though it’s behind the scenes, I think we get a lot out of it.”

Westerville mom Alice Wilson began volunteering at WARM solo six years ago, helping the organization re-stock its food shelves, check food expiration dates and assist clients in getting the food they need. Last June, after chatting with WARM personnel, Wilson began bringing her daughter Kim, who is 17, with her to volunteer.

The volunteer experience for Alice and Kim is slightly different than most, Alice says, because Kim has Down syndrome.

“As a mom of a kid with special needs, it’s neat to give her the opportunity to help other people,” Alice says. “So often she is defined by her disability, but she can still help other people. I think that’s one of the most amazing gifts you can give a kid, the opportunity to help other people and to be able to give and make a difference, however big or small. Everyone can contribute something.”

WARM staffers help tailor tasks for Kim to work on, such as splitting bulk food donations into single units or making kits with toiletry items. Kim loves the work, even though her volunteering happens only during the summer or on school breaks.

“She loves school, but she asks me, ‘Can I go to WARM this summer?’” Alice says.

Even as Kim has fun, Alice says the experience has also taught her crucial lessons.

“She asks me questions, like ‘Why do people come here for food? Why don’t they go to the grocery store?’ A lot of kids don’t understand that some people don’t have money to go out and buy food. Her understanding is just that sometimes people need help to give their families the food they need.”

Families that volunteer together oftentimes find it’s the best way to grow closer. For Keith Ratliff, his wife Pam and stepdaughter Amy Farrar, 17, the time they spend volunteering are essential to family bonding. The family volunteers at Otterbein Lake during favorable weather, cleaning up trash or other park maintenance, and they also volunteer during community events such as the Holiday Tree Lighting for the City of Westerville, passing out candles and programs.

“Amy’s not the softball/soccer girl. That’s not her,” says Keith, who works for the city’s Information Systems department. “In looking for things to do as a parent with her, volunteering at Otterbein Lake or the tree lighting is something I can do with her. I don’t think she wants me to go shopping with her that much – I don’t think she likes my taste.”

It’s hard to find family time, says Farrar, a junior at Westerville South High School who is active in Key Club and other activities, but she says she cherishes the opportunities to volunteer with her parents.

“It makes us closer as a family,” she says. “We spend quality time together.”

The bonding experience of volunteering isn’t something that’s lost on the Messer children, either. Though the family also devotes time for school and church events, their efforts at WARM has left a lasting impression on Lily and Ian.

“It’s fun,” Ian says. “We all get to be together. We’re like the only ones there.”

According to Lily, not only does she enjoy working with her parents and brother, but she hopes to someday pass the practice on.

“I’d like my kids to feel the same way that I feel about doing this, and being able to put myself in my parent’s shoes,” she says. “I’d like to have them benefit the same way I do.”


Kate Seegraves is editor of Westerville Magazine.