Summer Speedos | Building Bridges With Kathy
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Description
How can simple acts of kindness transform a community? Kathy Boschmann, shares a story of how meeting a basic need for a queen mattress and toddler bed evolved into a profound friendship. Kathy shares the inspiring story of a single mother of four, whose resilience, love, and community spirit deeply impacted her. Through CarePortal's efforts and the power of neighbourly support, Kathy and the mom not only helped each other but also extended their compassion to others in need. This touching narrative highlights the beauty of connection, the importance of community, and the transformative power of lending a helping hand.
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Editing and production by Johan Heinrichs: arkpodcasts.ca
Mentioned in this episode:
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Transcript
This is Journey with Care. Hey. We're taking 4 weeks of the summer
Speaker:to keep it short or speedy. Let's just call these
Speaker:summer speedos. Short action packed dives into the
Speaker:incredible stories of everyday people using Care Portal to
Speaker:build connection and change lives. Care Portal, for those
Speaker:that haven't heard, is an amazing platform connecting churches,
Speaker:families, and businesses with specific needs with some of the most
Speaker:vulnerable in our communities. So as you soak up the sun this
Speaker:summer and enjoy these summer remember, Journey with
Speaker:Care is powered by Care Impact, a Canadian charity helping
Speaker:strangers become good neighbours. To keep bringing you our podcast
Speaker:and these stories, we rely on supporters like you.
Speaker:So for the summer Speedo series, join our summer of 30.
Speaker:We're looking for 30 amazing listeners to donate $30 in
Speaker:the next 30 days. Every dollar helps us maintain our
Speaker:equipment, update our software, and help us cover all the
Speaker:expenses associated with bringing you these important stories.
Speaker:So to join the summer 30, check the show notes for the link or visit
Speaker:journey with care dot ca slash 30. That's journey with care
Speaker:dot ca slash 30. So go ahead,
Speaker:pause it, and become 1 of the 30 right now. Alright.
Speaker:Enough chit chat. Let's get on with the summer Speedos.
Speaker:My name is Kathy Boschman. I'm an active care portal
Speaker:responder and on the leadership team for Care Portal in Winnipeg.
Speaker:Earlier this year, a care portal request came via
Speaker:email to my inbox. The request was for a queen
Speaker:mattress and a toddler bed for a single mom with 4 children
Speaker:in the neighborhood very close to where I work. My husband
Speaker:and I brought the mattresses over late 1 evening,
Speaker:where we met the family and their friend who was there to help with getting
Speaker:the mattresses up the stairs.
Speaker:The kids were very excited. Mom wasn't feeling so
Speaker:great, but she insisted that we leave the mattresses in the living
Speaker:room and that they would manage.
Speaker:Mom struck me as a very calm and skilled parent,
Speaker:even while she was struggling with her health.
Speaker:The initial connection was short and hurried, which was disappointing,
Speaker:but not unusual for our first connection. I knew I'd be back
Speaker:with the bed frame, so I had hope of a better connection the following
Speaker:visit.
Speaker:When I returned to the family's home the next week, with the help of my
Speaker:friend, we were able to set up the beds and spend a little more time
Speaker:with this young family. The bedding, frames, and
Speaker:mattresses were donated through partnership with another church in our city that
Speaker:uses Care Portal. That provision
Speaker:was a huge help in getting the much needed resources for this family and
Speaker:creating the opportunity too for continued support.
Speaker:These items helped with transitioning a toddler out of a crib,
Speaker:which no longer contained her, and gave the mom the much needed
Speaker:rest. Watching mom soothe her baby
Speaker:in the midst of all the action of setting up the beds, I was
Speaker:impacted by her love and ability to attune to her baby's needs.
Speaker:I shared by observation that she is a baby whisperer, which
Speaker:she received with a smile. It meant so much to me that
Speaker:she knows for a special connection with her children.
Speaker:While we would all feel challenged in parenting for children
Speaker:without a partner, she recognizes the gift that they are.
Speaker:She truly inspires me. In my
Speaker:continued interactions with this family, I have seen mom's resourcefulness.
Speaker:She even invited me into an opportunity to care for someone in her
Speaker:community who was suffering a tragic loss.
Speaker:We teamed up to provide a couple of meals for them and activate a
Speaker:church nearby to continue that support.
Speaker:I am touched by her love, both for her children and for her community.
Speaker:I'm humbled
Speaker:around us who could use some support as we ourselves would like to
Speaker:have it. Her ability to receive and give makes me
Speaker:reflect on my own motivations and desires.
Speaker:This beautiful young woman has inspired me with her courage and
Speaker:her contentment. Her resilience and compassion for others led
Speaker:me to action. She gives me hope for the communities
Speaker:around me. As I think about the importance of
Speaker:community support, I recognize that the first step towards
Speaker:others can be the most challenging, and
Speaker:that doing it is so much better together.
Speaker:Truly, the benefit outweighs the risk.
Speaker:I encourage people to keep their eyes and ears open at how they
Speaker:can connect with their neighbors and show support. I
Speaker:also invite people to check out Care Portal as a community responder,
Speaker:small group, or even activating their whole church community.
Speaker:Everyone can do something.
Speaker:When I reflect on my connections in community because of Care
Speaker:Portal, I'm reminded that as I open my heart and
Speaker:my life to people in my neighborhood who may be in a hard
Speaker:place, that together, we can be transformed
Speaker:into the likeness of who we were created to be. There's
Speaker:hope to be found in the beauty of compassion and loving kindness for
Speaker:1 another. I
Speaker:am grateful to be able to call this mom my friend, and knowing
Speaker:that I will be reaching out and hearing about what
Speaker:she is doing with her kids, and I can share with her what I'm doing
Speaker:with my family. And I'm just really
Speaker:impacted by who she is and so grateful for that
Speaker:connection.
Speaker:Thanks for listening to this summer's Speedo on the Journey with Care podcast. To
Speaker:keep the stories
Speaker:a make a difference. Visit journey with care dot c a slash
Speaker:30. That's journey with care slash 30. Thanks for
Speaker:being part of the journey.