Hear Our Volunteers' Stories

Comedy Characters

By: Lawrence R. Smith

I have the honor of being Tom Franklin’s friend. I met Tom as a New Hope volunteer reading tutor. Tom wanted to become a better reader and I wanted to find an excuse not to go to the gym. Over the years, Tom has taught me much more than I taught him.

While reading a science-fiction thriller one day, Tom mentioned he liked “comics.” He said he was interested in working with comics. Silly me as I thought “comics” told jokes in clubs and appeared on Jay Leno or David Letterman. Other types of comics wore baggy pants and performed with circuses making children and adults laugh. Luck would have it that the annual Shrine Circus was coming to town. We waited and waited and planned our trip to see if Tom could become a comic. His tryout went very well. He was an instant success as you can see from the photo. We were told he was a natural and didn’t even need make-up.

Later Tom taught me about comics and introduced me to the fun of collecting serious animation art called cels. He took me to a comic collector’s show. We visited a gallery with animation art of all the superhero action figures. We looked through hundreds of original classic comic books. Many were protected in museum quality frames. Tom was the hit of the show. He is a walking encyclopedia of comic book literature and action hero history. While talking to a collector from Ohio, he found a rare copy of a TV Guide with a classic Green Hornet television series on the cover, starring a young Bruce Lee as the leaping Kato. Next time you see Tom be on guard, he might jump out and give you a karate chop. Ahh haaa….

Thom Thyme

By: Lora Harvey

Hi!  My name is Lora, and this is my friend Thom.  Our friendship began in the summer of 2005, when I was between jobs and wanted to take the opportunity to search for volunteer opportunities.  Fortunately, I found St. Vincent New Hope, and the volunteer coordinator matched me up with Thom.  Thom and I quickly became good friends.

Thom is smart, articulate, and has a great sense of humor.  He has a staff of people that take very good care of him and his housemates.  It is a very demanding job, and these people are real heroes.  With all the demands of just meeting physical needs, it is difficult to fit in time to take the clients out for recreational activities, though they do manage to do it when they can.

When I started volunteering with Thom, he encouraged me to get “van trained.”  Taking this on just seemed so overwhelming to me.  What a huge responsibility that would be - first aid, all those straps to secure him into the van and never mind the size of the van itself!  But Thom kept encouraging me, and I decided to finally give it a try, and I’m so glad I did.  We go all over the place.  We’ve been to the circus, the zoo, cookouts, movies, the mall, Indians baseball, and more.  We really enjoy our time together and always look forward to the next outing.   Thom is always so appreciative of the time I spend with him.  I know I get at least as much out of the experience as he does.

I have always wanted to volunteer and am so glad to have the opportunity to be of service.  I highly recommend it.

Friends Indeed!

By: Doria Lynch

I met Nicki over a year ago when I started volunteering for St. Vincent New Hope. At first, our connection was my pug, Tayto. I’d often take him over to Nicki’s house to play and go for a walk, or she’d come over and visit with us. As time went on, Nicki and I found out we have more in common than our love for dogs- we like to go for walks together in Broad Ripple, we shop together at Target, and we can also be found at McDonald’s, enjoying a couple of burgers and some fries (Nicki takes one for the team on this point- she knows I don’t like Taco Bell, even though it is her favorite!).

My favorite times with Nicki are when we get to sit and talk. It’s helpful to talk things through with a friend, and that is exactly what Nicki has become- a great friend. Nicki is a good listener, and she always remembers to ask how I’m doing and how things are going. I also know that Nicki appreciates it when I listen to her worries or concerns and help her resolve those issues. Sometimes a problem isn’t resolved, but I know Nicki feels better simply because someone has given her the chance to say what is bothering her.

Nicki is simply a lot of fun to be with. She has a great laugh and a good sense of humor, and it is fun to tease back and forth with her. With Nicki as my friend, I also know I’ll never run out of pens- she is an avid collector. She loves the Colts, and we’ve even gone to a Pacers game. We’ve been bowling as well- I knew I was in trouble when she came out to meet me and was carrying a bag with her own bowling ball, shoes, and towel. I was right to be worried- she beat me two games out of three.

St. Vincent New Hope has given me a new, lifelong friend and a chance to go out and see and do things I might not otherwise do. I’m looking forward to many more adventures and conversations with my New Hope friend.

Dana, Molly and I

By: Sara Dame

I first met Dana after I contacted New Hope about an opportunity to volunteer with my dog, Molly.  Dana loves dogs, so when we initially became friends, I would bring Molly to visit Dana. Molly loves to go to Dana's house, where she gets to run around the yard and be rewarded with treats and lots of attention from Dana.  Dana even taught Molly how to shake her paw!

Shortly after we met, Dana and I discovered that we share an interest in country music and Dana invited me to go country line dancing with her.  After my first time, I was hooked!  We now go line dancing together almost every Tuesday night.  Dana is a real pro (she's been line dancing for years) and helped me with all the moves on the dance floor when I first started.

Dana and I have also gone bowling together, performed Dana's favorite Elvis songs at karaoke, and shared a number of meals at restaurants around town.  I have made many special memories with Dana throughout the past year and a half that I will never forget.  I admire Dana for her strength and her dedication to her job (she's been working for Goodwill Industries for over twenty-five years), and also really enjoy her sense of humor.  Thanks for your friendship, Dana!