As a proud contributor to In The Limelight Magazine, I look forward to sharing the incredible Community Care opportunities in our society, to bring healing to the ills that surround us. My personal experiences will lead the way. However, first… I would like to share what drives me.
There are those who help others, and there are those that devote much of their life to the work of helping others, that it becomes their mission to heal the community. I am the latter. I have a missionary’s soul, and the topic of community work for those in need constantly tugs at my heart.
“The miracle is not that we do this work, but we are happy to do it.” Mother Teresa
I see myself as always having had a mission to heal what I can in society. Caring for the community is engrained in me. From my younger years onward, I have found myself actively seeking out ways to give back to the community and help those in need. At one point in those formative years, I had considered becoming a missionary. I dreamed of traveling to places where the downtrodden were, to do what I could. For the last 37 years, community care continues to be an integral part of my day-to-day life. Some of my assistance is small, some large. No matter the extent, to touch just one life in a day makes that day a success.
“We ourselves feel that what we are doing is just a drop in the ocean. But the ocean will be less because of that missing drop.” Mother Teresa
Community responsibility efforts on my part have touched a variety of life stages in society. Infant through the end of life. Diligent work within female-based nonprofits as well as coed. While many focus their service work on one segment of the population, its fair to say that because I say “Yes” to serve no matter the area, I have had the reward of knowing ills in a wide breadth. Saying “yes” also has a domino effect. One incredible opportunity leading to another. I always muster up a can-do attitude, because I will continually find the strength to do what is needed.
“I know God won’t give me anything I can’t handle.” – Mother Teresa
The difference you make in the community has benefits in both directions. There are times in my life where I needed to get out of myself and issues in my world, some may coin “quality problems.” Getting outside of my life, and into the life of someone in need, brings an alternative vantage to my own life. Maybe we each have a great life, but with the weight of our issues, we don’t realize how great our lives are. Giving back to the community gives us perspective. Maybe, just maybe, as compared to others, our problems are minor. Working one on one in various areas of community need has enlightened my mind to how it must feel. How it must feel to have that illness, ailment, issue, or obstacle. Otherwise, without open eyes and heart, I would not have known what it’s like to be that person. Community service work breaks down stereotypes. Diversity is broken down when you work one on one with a downtrodden individual, understand their situation, and work towards assistance. After your good works, general humanness squashes diversity and stereotypes. Humans are humans. Our differences are superficial to the depth of the individual. At its core, we are all the same. In that frame, compassion can lead.
“If you judge people, you have no time to love them.” Mother Teresa
When it comes to healing the lives of those faced with diverse situations, many facets play a role. Those contributing towards making other’s lives better generally give forth time, talent, treasure or prayer. Time, talent, treasure and prayer are like the spokes on a wheel in turning lives around. I find that my best work happens in the trenches. One on one direct contact with the needy. Today my endeavors take me to assisted living homes, Alzheimer’s units, high school art rooms, community center art programs, recovery shelters for women and their children, food banks, school fundraising foundations, donations to the poor, etc. In my future articles, I will go into depth as to my day-to-day volunteerism looks like. On the other side of that community care work, at the end of that day, you will see smiling faces, repaired hearts, renewed confidence, and the rewards of coming out the other 
side of tragedy. Transformation into a life they were always meant to have.
“Spread love everywhere you go. Let no one ever come to you without leaving happier.” Mother Teresa
Darlene Quinn
Classic International Woman 2018
Vice President of Business Development EAS, Inc.
Committee Member, Shemer Art Center
Event Chair, Paradise Valley Women’s Association
Operations Board Member, New Directions For Women