Location: Four Seasons Hotel
Date: Monday, December 02, 2013; 6:00-9:00 pm
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| Here we are again |
Last year I had come to this
event with just a few Chicago Cares projects under my belt and hardly knew
anyone at the party. This year I
had hundreds of hours with the organization and would probably know most of the
attendees. As I have said before,
it’s amazing what difference a year makes. There were a few things that were same, starting with the
venue. Plus, Irina was going to be
attending as well. At check-in I
met Amy from Chicago Cares and she handed me my nametag and said that we were
to write the name of our favorite restaurant in Chicago on it, possibly serving
as an icebreaker. I chose ‘Geja’s Café’, though it could have been
several others. I saw
Thomas with whom I have my monthly interactions, as he usually request’s me to
lead the ‘Wells Street Café’
project. That’s coming up in two
days and I asked if he was going to ask me to lead again. His sheepish grin indicated that it
would indeed be the case. My prediction was correct as I
saw several familiar faces, including a few whom I had met at One Brick
projects. Then there were others
like Debbie and her husband, who run a cooking project at Pat Crowley House and
Galen, who is the most adored volunteer by the kids at HGS. Also met Pat and Brenna from Henderson
and it was wonderful to just catch-up on our favorite projects with all of these
people.
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| It was a full house |
We were chatting in the
dinner area when they announced that the ceremony was about to start, and so we went inside. The main focus of the
evening was recognition of volunteers through various awards and so after the
opening remarks, they asked all the nominees for awards to stand up and be
acknowledged. Several stood up and
having seen a few at different projects, their nominations were well deserved. The opening award was for ‘Star Volunteer’ and it went to Emmett,
with whom I have had an opportunity to serve. I have been told that he is a popular volunteer and is certainly deserving of this honor.
This was followed by other awards for ‘Best Volunteer Leader’ and ‘Best
Serve-A-Thon Team’; though as far as I was concerned, I would not have
traded my team for anyone else.
There were also awards handed out for ‘Best
Site’ and programs such as ‘Youth In Services’ and ‘Corporate Volunteer Programs’. An award was also
given to a representative from ‘Ace
Hardware’, since they subsidize most of the supplies that Chicago Cares
uses on special projects. Finally,
a special award was given to a Board Member who has been serving for 9
years. She said that she remembers the
time because it was her son’s 9th birthday today and he has been
alive for all of her association with Chicago Cares. Her son was in attendance, meaning the
entire room joined in singing him a Happy Birthday. All the winners had spoken and exhibited genuine humility,
preferring to praise their team and other people instead. It had been a nice ceremony and just as
I got up to go back outside for desserts, I picked up the evening’s program. And then, my world changed.
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| Is that my name I see! |
I flipped through the various
pages and I came across a list of all the people who had been nominated. As I
scanned through it, I saw Wilson was mentioned, along with Fran – both richly
deserved. Also in the
list was the name, ‘Ritesh Tipnis’. What! I had been nominated!
I hadn’t even known, and had missed my curtain call when all the
nominees stood up! I went outside
and asked Amy and she said yes, not only had I been nominated, but I had also received
multiple endorsements. She said
that she had personally dispatched a letter to my place, something that I had
obviously not received. Now,
accidents happen and while I was definitely pleased to be here, knowing that I
was a nominee would have made this evening extra special; as it was turning out
now.
As I had desserts while staring
at my name in disbelief, one of Chicago Cares staff members, Megan, came and
asked if I would be willing to do an interview on camera. It was not because I was a nominee,
but they were asking volunteers about their experiences with Chicago
Cares. She started by asking me
what had made me start volunteering with Chicago Cares and I mentioned how I
was looking for something to do with my spare time and this seemed like a good
idea. She also asked why I
continue to do so and I said that with some of the projects, such as with the
seniors, the clients have now become friends. This means that when I go there, it feels as if I am
visiting friends rather than volunteering, and that’s what keeps it fresh. Finally she asked if there was any
message that I would like to give and I repeated what I had said in my written
interview before ‘Serve-A-Thon’, “Volunteering is a privilege." I really believe it's not about the quantity, but the
quality; meaning that one should do everything wholeheartedly, else it amounts to nothing.
Before leaving I chatted with Sam
from Chicago House and we reminisced about my visit on ‘Valentine’s Day’. We
talked about the kids who go there, and how they really need life lessons rather
than just help with the homework.
I told her that they need regular volunteers in order to build trust and
she agreed. I left after a great
evening, made extra special because of my nomination. I had met a lot of good people and seen plenty of hugs…and
it was not just because of the open bar!
Last year, I had arrived as a newcomer. Now I left as a part of the Chicago Cares family. Indeed…what a difference a year makes.
Epilogue
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| The letter |
A few days later I requested Amy
to send me a copy of my nomination letter and she was kind enough to do so through email. As I read through
it, I was stunned by some of the comments that people had written about me.
“Ritesh is full of life and engages very well with residents in senior
facilities. He is inquisitive and
creative. Ritesh is incredibly
friendly toward the people we serve and fellow Chicago Cares volunteers. He is positive and enthusiastic in his
outlook on life.”
“Ritesh has volunteered at Lakeview Rehab Center and Pat Crowley Apts –
both involve interacting with seniors.
He engages residents while reading newspaper articles and is energetic
as he teaches seniors how to paint and create origami figures. I understand he volunteers at many
projects. He lives a life of
service while balancing work related responsibilities.”
“He takes the time to get to know residents. Ritesh is very optimistic and connects well with the
communities Chicago Cares serves.
He is responsible and committed to helping the less fortunate.”
I have a Ph.D. degree which is
beautifully engraved, and which I treasure. But after seeing this, there was
no doubt what piece of paper was more priceless to me.
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