Volunteer Spotlight: Eileen King
Eileen King and her volunteer group at the Home Improvement Challenge 2014.
For over a decade, Eileen King has been a steady presence in the LifeWorks volunteer community. What started as a one-time volunteer project through her company’s participation in the annual Home Improvement Challenge has since grown into a meaningful, long-term commitment to supporting young people as they build stability and belonging.
Now, in retirement, she still assists with events like holiday celebrations and last Thursday’s yearly maintenance of the community garden at the Works apartments.
At the Spring Celebration event, several volunteers joined LifeWorks staff to tend to the garden, cleaning up the area to plant new crops. The garden is available for residents to learn how to care for plants in order to build community through cultivating healthy food.
She said that the yearly clean-up is valuable, as it allows the residents to build confidence through successful gardening efforts and reap the benefit of it with fresh fruits and vegetables. It is an example of why giving back to the community is meaningful to her.
“Looking at all the support [the garden] provides to the community here is what is fulfilling.”
According to Eileen, one major lesson she has learned in her time as a volunteer is the value of humility. Being able to do whatever she can to help people establish lives they love is an experience she is grateful for.
“[I appreciate] the people, [especially] the engagement from the clients and the workers and volunteers,” she said.
Caroline Newman Phillips, Senior Director of Development at LifeWorks, is grateful for Eileen’s long-term contributions to the organization’s initiatives, including everything from Project Holiday Help to the Home Improvement Challenge.
“She’s been a supportive and generous presence at a wide variety of volunteer events… Eileen’s cheerful spirit, can-do attitude, and empathy and thoughtfulness towards our clients makes her a dream volunteer.”
Eileen encourages people to similarly find a cause they are passionate about and contribute however they can.
“Find something you care about that you're willing to put your time and effort into—[money] if you can, but time and effort certainly makes a big difference,” she said.
In her many years of volunteer work, Eileen said that LifeWorks is probably the best organization she has ever supported.
“I just love the organization and what they stand for,” she shared.