Why I Volunteer
- Mara Kline
What means the most to me?
Refugees and kids. Because I see them as… the most vulnerable group that I relate to. And I think that this is such a meaningful thing for me because refugees have experienced the worst of humanity. I want to volunteer to show them the best of humanity.
I want them to see that strangers… humankind can be unbelievably kind and creative and compassionate and wonderful.
I want to give them all the kindness, caring, compassion, and exposure to positive, loving, and creative things that I can. And I think that I’ve been doing that with them.
This, to me, was a volunteer thing for life. Not for a year or two years then I move on to something else.
I take the kids from morning till night every Saturday. And then in between, depends on what their needs are. We’ve gone to art projects, we’ve gone canoeing, bike riding, to Fish Creek Park, and to performances. We do a lot of cooking together here. They have all been keen to do that together.
I’ve never met three most wonderful kids in my life, like those three kids.
These kids were exposed to such horrendous stuff at a very, very young age. I want them to now see that strangers can be kind. I want them to feel safe. I want them to feel joy.
Now, when I’m out with the three kids and people ask me, “Oh, are these your grandchildren?”
And I say, “I wish! They’re my Iraqi grandchildren, or they’re my Yazidi grandchildren.”
Honestly, my only two grandchildren are in Toronto. I spend way more time with these kids than I get to with my own blood grandchildren. At their school, I say I’m the family volunteer because I’m responsible for pretty much everything as the liaison between the school and the mother, as the mother has limitations with English.
I remember when the oldest child had her first birthday here. They invited some of their community over. It was a happy time for the kid. I didn’t see their mother smile for years. And then when I started to see her smile and laugh with her kids… it was the most wonderful thing to see. She smiles a lot now.
So yes, I do feel like I’m instrumental in that. I know that I’m making a difference for them.