The critical role played by our front desk volunteers to provide a welcoming environment was on full display recently when a new client with severe anxiety and PTSD came for his first appointment with our Resource Center. We ended up meeting with the client outside to make him feel more comfortable, but the groundwork for alleviating his anxiety began with the front desk volunteer.
The client commented during the appointment about how nicely he had been treated when he arrived and how friendly the front desk volunteer was to him. He stated on numerous occasions throughout the appointment; “I’m not used to people being nice to me” and “I never hear that” (when referring to positive encouragement he had received).
The client was in a totally different state of being from when he arrived to when he left, and that is a testament to how God works through our entire team to engage with people in a meaningful way from the first hello to the last goodbye. Those friendly hellos open the doorway as the Spirit guides our team to truly engage with people to really listen, speak life, speak truth, build trust, and discern needs and path forward.