By Keith Richards
I’m a driver for Canopy clients. When I began to volunteer, I looked forward to meeting some of our new neighbors and hoped to make their transition to America a bit easier. But I didn’t fully consider how the folks who ride with me would enrich my life.
Getting to Know Grace
I’ve been taking one client, Grace (name changed for privacy purposes), to the Ozark Literacy Center twice a week, slowly getting to know her along the way. Although she’s only been in the U.S. for a short time, she’s already gaining proficiency in English (her fifth language!), so our conversations have quickly expanded beyond basic greetings.
Sometimes our communication goes well, and other times, one of us struggles a bit to understand, resulting in shared laughter. We talk about her classes at Ozark Literacy mostly, but also discuss food and family, and work that we’ve both done. Her, a tailor, and me, a program director for an organization that worked with sustainable farmers.
Exploring the Community Together
Both my wife, Julia, and I have taken Grace on other trips as well, to the African Market on Wedington Drive and a sewing class at Washington County Extension. We’ve also gone to the Fayetteville Farmers Market, where I learned about foods that I hadn’t noticed before.
As we walked around the market one Saturday morning, Grace’s eyes lit up when she saw pumpkin leaves at a Mnong farmer’s booth.
“This is my favorite vegetable!” she declared before buying a bunch.
This past summer, Grace and her son Eli (name changed for privacy purposes) traveled to Iowa to see family. Since I was born and raised in Iowa, I asked her several questions about the trip and found out that Eli left his new school shoes at her brother’s house. As fate would have it, Julia and I planned to travel to Iowa a few weeks later to attend my high school class reunion, so Grace asked if we could pick up the shoes.
Although her brother lives in a suburb of Des Moines and my hometown is 160 miles away, I knew we’d be driving through Des Moines on the way. Since I only had a phone number for her brother and our pass through Des Moines was brief, I was concerned about making the connection. But it worked out fine! With a phone call and a couple texts from the road, we were able to get his address and pick up the shoes. And when we returned home, Grace was very happy.
The Meaning of Community
As a privileged American, volunteering with Canopy is a simple act for me, yet it can make such a big difference in one of our new neighbor’s lives. Helping someone find a favorite food at the market. Picking up a pair of shoes that would have cost precious dollars to replace. Sharing laughter on a ride to class. This is what community is about.
Despite all that’s going in our nation, and even within our community at times, the Canopy staff, volunteers, and clients make me proud to call Fayetteville home.
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