Summer Speedos | Building Bridges With Kathy

Speaker: 00:00:02

This is Journey with Care. Hey. We're taking 4 weeks of the summer

Speaker: 00:00:06

to keep it short or speedy. Let's just call these

Speaker: 00:00:10

summer speedos. Short action packed dives into the

Speaker: 00:00:13

incredible stories of everyday people using Care Portal to

Speaker: 00:00:17

build connection and change lives. Care Portal, for those

Speaker: 00:00:21

that haven't heard, is an amazing platform connecting churches,

Speaker: 00:00:24

families, and businesses with specific needs with some of the most

Speaker: 00:00:28

vulnerable in our communities. So as you soak up the sun this

Speaker: 00:00:32

summer and enjoy these summer remember, Journey with

Speaker: 00:00:35

Care is powered by Care Impact, a Canadian charity helping

Speaker: 00:00:39

strangers become good neighbours. To keep bringing you our podcast

Speaker: 00:00:43

and these stories, we rely on supporters like you.

Speaker: 00:00:47

So for the summer Speedo series, join our summer of 30.

Speaker: 00:00:51

We're looking for 30 amazing listeners to donate $30 in

Speaker: 00:00:54

the next 30 days. Every dollar helps us maintain our

Speaker: 00:00:58

equipment, update our software, and help us cover all the

Speaker: 00:01:02

expenses associated with bringing you these important stories.

Speaker: 00:01:06

So to join the summer 30, check the show notes for the link or visit

Speaker: 00:01:09

journey with care dot ca slash 30. That's journey with care

Speaker: 00:01:13

dot ca slash 30. So go ahead,

Speaker: 00:01:17

pause it, and become 1 of the 30 right now. Alright.

Speaker: 00:01:20

Enough chit chat. Let's get on with the summer Speedos.

Speaker: 00:01:36

My name is Kathy Boschman. I'm an active care portal

Speaker: 00:01:40

responder and on the leadership team for Care Portal in Winnipeg.

Speaker: 00:01:46

Earlier this year, a care portal request came via

Speaker: 00:01:50

email to my inbox. The request was for a queen

Speaker: 00:01:53

mattress and a toddler bed for a single mom with 4 children

Speaker: 00:01:57

in the neighborhood very close to where I work. My husband

Speaker: 00:02:01

and I brought the mattresses over late 1 evening,

Speaker: 00:02:05

where we met the family and their friend who was there to help with getting

Speaker: 00:02:08

the mattresses up the stairs.

Speaker: 00:02:12

The kids were very excited. Mom wasn't feeling so

Speaker: 00:02:16

great, but she insisted that we leave the mattresses in the living

Speaker: 00:02:20

room and that they would manage.

Speaker: 00:02:24

Mom struck me as a very calm and skilled parent,

Speaker: 00:02:28

even while she was struggling with her health.

Speaker: 00:02:33

The initial connection was short and hurried, which was disappointing,

Speaker: 00:02:37

but not unusual for our first connection. I knew I'd be back

Speaker: 00:02:41

with the bed frame, so I had hope of a better connection the following

Speaker: 00:02:44

visit.

Speaker: 00:02:48

When I returned to the family's home the next week, with the help of my

Speaker: 00:02:51

friend, we were able to set up the beds and spend a little more time

Speaker: 00:02:54

with this young family. The bedding, frames, and

Speaker: 00:02:58

mattresses were donated through partnership with another church in our city that

Speaker: 00:03:01

uses Care Portal. That provision

Speaker: 00:03:05

was a huge help in getting the much needed resources for this family and

Speaker: 00:03:09

creating the opportunity too for continued support.

Speaker: 00:03:13

These items helped with transitioning a toddler out of a crib,

Speaker: 00:03:17

which no longer contained her, and gave the mom the much needed

Speaker: 00:03:21

rest. Watching mom soothe her baby

Speaker: 00:03:25

in the midst of all the action of setting up the beds, I was

Speaker: 00:03:29

impacted by her love and ability to attune to her baby's needs.

Speaker: 00:03:34

I shared by observation that she is a baby whisperer, which

Speaker: 00:03:37

she received with a smile. It meant so much to me that

Speaker: 00:03:41

she knows for a special connection with her children.

Speaker: 00:03:46

While we would all feel challenged in parenting for children

Speaker: 00:03:50

without a partner, she recognizes the gift that they are.

Speaker: 00:03:54

She truly inspires me. In my

Speaker: 00:03:58

continued interactions with this family, I have seen mom's resourcefulness.

Speaker: 00:04:02

She even invited me into an opportunity to care for someone in her

Speaker: 00:04:06

community who was suffering a tragic loss.

Speaker: 00:04:10

We teamed up to provide a couple of meals for them and activate a

Speaker: 00:04:14

church nearby to continue that support.

Speaker: 00:04:18

I am touched by her love, both for her children and for her community.

Speaker: 00:04:22

I'm humbled

Speaker: 00:04:31

around us who could use some support as we ourselves would like to

Speaker: 00:04:35

have it. Her ability to receive and give makes me

Speaker: 00:04:39

reflect on my own motivations and desires.

Speaker: 00:04:45

This beautiful young woman has inspired me with her courage and

Speaker: 00:04:49

her contentment. Her resilience and compassion for others led

Speaker: 00:04:53

me to action. She gives me hope for the communities

Speaker: 00:04:57

around me. As I think about the importance of

Speaker: 00:05:00

community support, I recognize that the first step towards

Speaker: 00:05:04

others can be the most challenging, and

Speaker: 00:05:07

that doing it is so much better together.

Speaker: 00:05:11

Truly, the benefit outweighs the risk.

Speaker: 00:05:17

I encourage people to keep their eyes and ears open at how they

Speaker: 00:05:20

can connect with their neighbors and show support. I

Speaker: 00:05:24

also invite people to check out Care Portal as a community responder,

Speaker: 00:05:28

small group, or even activating their whole church community.

Speaker: 00:05:32

Everyone can do something.

Speaker: 00:05:36

When I reflect on my connections in community because of Care

Speaker: 00:05:39

Portal, I'm reminded that as I open my heart and

Speaker: 00:05:43

my life to people in my neighborhood who may be in a hard

Speaker: 00:05:46

place, that together, we can be transformed

Speaker: 00:05:50

into the likeness of who we were created to be. There's

Speaker: 00:05:54

hope to be found in the beauty of compassion and loving kindness for

Speaker: 00:05:58

1 another. I

Speaker: 00:06:01

am grateful to be able to call this mom my friend, and knowing

Speaker: 00:06:05

that I will be reaching out and hearing about what

Speaker: 00:06:09

she is doing with her kids, and I can share with her what I'm doing

Speaker: 00:06:12

with my family. And I'm just really

Speaker: 00:06:17

impacted by who she is and so grateful for that

Speaker: 00:06:20

connection.

Speaker: 00:07:07

Thanks for listening to this summer's Speedo on the Journey with Care podcast. To

Speaker: 00:07:11

keep the stories

Speaker: 00:07:19

a make a difference. Visit journey with care dot c a slash

Speaker: 00:07:23

30. That's journey with care slash 30. Thanks for

Speaker: 00:07:27

being part of the journey.