by Grace Johnson, LSI Communications Coordinator
At LSI, there are countless opportunities to volunteer and always more to learn about the work our 550+ team members do across the state. As I began to work on social media plans for National Volunteer Week (April 16-22, 2023), I realized I wasn’t entirely sure what our volunteers do and how they contribute to overall service that LSI provides to Iowans. Thus, “A Day in the Life at LSI” was created. Over the upcoming year, I plan to shadow team members at LSI to learn more about the important roles that our staff and volunteers play in serving our neighbors.
Double thumbs up for setting up my first refugee room!
My name is Grace, and I’m a communications coordinator on the Marketing, Communications and Advocacy team at Lutheran Services in Iowa. For my first shadowing adventure, I tagged along with Natalie Estrem, community engagement specialist, for her final refugee family move-in before she transitions to her new role in our Global Greens team. Over her year of coordinating and working with volunteers, Natalie led well over 75 move-ins, so I knew I was in qualified hands.
I met Natalie at our Des Moines campus where she had a big box truck ready to go. We chatted with Patrick Karemera, an LSI caseworker, who would be picking up the refugee family at their hotel and bringing them to their new Iowa home.
After a few laughs and planning with Patrick, I climbed in the passenger side, ready to learn all about volunteering with the Immigrant and Refugee Community Services (IRCS) Resettlement team. First, I asked her how the truck was prepared for a move.
“Volunteers gather completed totes or prepare totes for move-in from our in-kind donations. For example, a bedroom tote for a child may have a set of twin-size sheets, a comforter, a pillow and sometimes a stuffed animal. A kitchen tote contains cooking supplies, dishes, silverware and so on,” shared Natalie as we drove to the house.
“After that, volunteers get a description of the incoming refugee family and prepare all the needed materials to be loaded up into the truck. Then another volunteer loads up the truck.” She handed me a sheet of paper describing the family.
The family we helped that day was a family of 7 – 2 parents, 5 kids – who spent years in a refugee camp in Tanzania after fleeing from Congo.
I’ve never attended a move before this, so I was not sure what to expect as we searched a Des Moines neighborhood for the address on the page. We pulled up to a house which looked like it was built in the 70s but recently flipped. Natalie explained that we work with landlords in the area to secure reduced-price housing and apartments for our incoming refugees.
As we hopped out of the truck, we met volunteers, Penny and John. Natalie greeted them with a big grin – she’s forged great relationships with our volunteers who were excited to see her. Both Penny and John volunteered with LSI before in a variety of roles, but there was not much time for learning about that as the team was eager to start the move-in process before the family arrived.
Thank you to our amazing volunteers like Penny and John!
Natalie, John and Penny
First, we started by taking the totes into the house and into their respective rooms. Then, we moved bed frames to the bedrooms. I followed the lead of Penny and John, seasoned volunteers, as they ensured the correct number of bed frames went into each room. Natalie handed me a pair of scissors, and I immediately realized I wasn’t there just to take pictures and notes. Around LSI, everyone helps out when they can.
I chose to set up the boys’ bedroom. Two twin bed frames, two twin mattresses, one bedding kit themed with trucks and another kit themed teal and gray later, I’d fully prepared a room for two brothers to call their own. I imagined the fun late-night conversations they may have, just as my sister and I had when we were younger. I smiled as I took a moment to appreciate how my mere 30 minutes of work to set up two beds had the possibility to make a lifelong impact on two people I’ve never met.
With the boys’ bedroom finished, I helped Penny set up the girls’ room. As we talked, I discovered she works as a guide at the Civic Center. As a huge fan of musicals, we got to talking about the current showing in Des Moines: The Lion King. Before I knew it, the whole room was set up. I was enjoying our conversation with Penny so much that I barely realized the passing of time as we set up and made the beds.
After we set up the three bedrooms, – the parents in their own room, the two boys in the room I set up and the three girls at the end of the hall – Natalie told me to get my camera ready.
“Trash Santa is coming to town!” she exclaimed. Natalie hoisted over her shoulder an oversized plastic bag of the trash we’d accumulated from unboxing all of our bedding items. This earned a laugh from the entire team, and I realized how much fun there is to be had when volunteering with good people like John, Penny and Natalie.
With the bedrooms ready to go, the team headed downstairs to set up the kitchen, bathroom and living room areas. Natalie took note of what other necessities the family may need – a kitchen trashcan, trash bags, etc. – that weren’t included in the totes. As we finished unpacking the kitchen, we heard a van pull into the driveway.
“Hello!” greeted a loud voice from the front door. It was Patrick and the family. We moved into the living room to greet them and welcomed them to their new home. The children smiled shyly, not sure what to expect. No one in the family spoke or understood English except the father, but nearly everyone understood the volunteer team’s big smiles and waving hands. Their caseworker Patrick, also a former refugee from Congo, introduced us in Swahili. We shook hands, then got back to work, now with the family to help.
Natalie explained to me earlier that, if time allows, often the family will help set up the house, getting to participate in the move-in. With a few more heavy items to move from the truck, Patrick and the father of the family got to work while the children rushed upstairs to explore their new rooms. One young girl was particularly excited about a mermaid plushie on her bed.
A rare sighting of Trash Santa
After the men maneuvered the couch into the house, Natalie was showing the father how the cushions can clip in, but don’t have to.
“Patrick, can you explain?” she asked, and Patrick translated her message. I noted how simple it is to bridge the language barrier when working with a caseworker. It was easy to see how the family was already comfortable with Patrick – someone who speaks their language, knows first-hand what they’re experiencing and always has a smile on his face. Perhaps I need to shadow Patrick for my next adventure.
After the box truck was empty, we chatted outside before our departure. The whole move-in took about an hour, and Natalie said it usually takes less time if the family is there to help. We shook hands again with the parents who thanked us for our help. After saying goodbye to her long-time volunteers, Natalie and I hopped back in the box truck to go back to the office.
“What did you think?” asked Natalie on our way back.
“I’m so glad I was able to come along!” I exclaimed. “I felt proud of myself for setting up the boys’ room and knowing I made a difference in someone’s life. Then I got to meet the people whose lives I made a difference in, which is something pretty powerful that you don’t often get to see when volunteering elsewhere.”
Overall, I learned a lot about volunteering with LSI on my move-in adventure, but I’ll sum up my most important lessons and advice. First, get ready to MOVE! I worked up a sweat moving those boxes up the stairs. Second, with a team of good people, don’t be afraid to jump right in to the work and ask questions. Your team is there to support you. Third, the best part of volunteering is the people. Getting to know Penny and John was a highlight of my day. The opportunity to meet the family we set the house up for was pretty incredible.
