Volunteer Spotlight: Charlie & Lori S.
How did you two meet?
Charlie worked at the Edina Post Office and Lori worked at Clancy Drug Store across the street. He would come in to buy lottery tickets on his lunch break. At the time, Charlie was the Course Director for Twin Cities Marathon and needed volunteers. He asked, and, as they say, the rest is history. We volunteered together for TCM, Uptown Art Fair, Holidazzle Parade and many other events.
What made you decide to volunteer with Make-A-Wish?
Charlie’s cousin’s son was granted a wish over 30 years ago. He lost his fight with cancer and we have been part of the Just Cause Charity Golf Tournament in his memory. At one of the tournaments, a wish mom was the guest speaker. She had such a compelling story that we decided we could do more.
What roles do you two volunteer in? Are there any you always volunteer together in, or some you do separately?
We are wish granters and airport greeters. We do those together. Lori is apart of the Speakers Bureau and is a mentor. Charlie is a driving volunteer.
How do your different strengths complement each other in your volunteer roles?
Lori is the communicator and techie, Charlie is the hands on helper. We bounce ideas off each other for wish boosts, etc.
What is your favorite thing about volunteering together?
Spending time together. When we first started with Make-A-Wish, Lori was working 50+ hours a week and Charlie was doing a lot of traveling. This was a great way to spend time together. Charlie has since retired, and Lori is working part-time so now it’s a way to break the monotony of the COVID world and resulting changes.
What has been the most rewarding experience of volunteering with Make-A-Wish?
We have worked with over 25 wish families and done around 300 airport meet and greets. Each experience has left an impression on our hearts. It changes your perspective on the world - suddenly our knee pain or sore back aren’t so bad. We’ve been blessed to keep in touch with many of our wish families – being invited to graduations, weddings and birthday parties. We can’t think of another way to volunteer that would create such a lasting, loving impact on our lives.
What advice would you give to someone thinking about volunteering with their partner?
Do it! We’ve made volunteer work part of our relationship from the start and it’s created so many amazing memories. We’ve travelled a few times to Florida to visit Give Kids the World, where our wish families stay – we even spent our 20th wedding anniversary volunteering there!