No two days look the same for our Program Director, Maggie, but they’re all busy! Maggie leads our program development and strategic planning, and she manages our Newark, DE chapter. For three years, she was our only full-time staff person, so most of our clients, students and supporters know Maggie as the face of our organization. We are so grateful to have a Director who is dedicated to our mission and who prioritizes high quality services for our clients and students above all else that we do. This week, we stole a little of her time to learn more about her leadership of Lori’s Hands and her vision for the future of our work.
You’ve been involved in social services and aging in place programming even before joining Lori’s Hands. Tell us about your interest in the field and a little about the work you did in the past.
I have long been interested – and found incredible value – in promoting conversation between different groups of people. I pursued my Master’s Degree in Art Therapy because I believe art is a uniquely powerful tool in aiding expression and promoting connection. I worked as an outpatient mental health therapist for several years after grad school but missed the experience of working with people in community to promote connections and relationships. I was inspired when I learned about and became involved with the Village movement to support older adults who were aging in place. Older adults have so much to offer their community and, in turn, community members can play a vital role in supporting their independence. It’s been a privilege to work in this space for the past 7+ years.
A Lori’s Hands client and volunteer look through a family photo album together.
A Lori’s Hands client and volunteer look through a family photo album together.
You’ve been Lori’s Hands’ Program Director for 3 1/2 years. What are a couple of your favorite memories from your time with the organization?
I love spending time with our clients and our volunteers. One of my favorite memories was watching a client together with two of his students as they looked through one of his family photo albums. As the students turned the pages of the photo album, they pointed out old photos of his family members correctly identifying his son, wife, and more. I was so moved to see these two college seniors know the details of this client’s life – not just how to fill his bird feeder or how to make the kinds of cookies he likes to bake for his neighbors, but they recognized his family in decades-old photos. They shared a very special bond. When he turned 100 this summer, they joined him in celebrating via Zoom. These friendships wouldn’t have been formed if it wasn’t for Lori’s Hands. I love that I get to be part of this work.
Celebrating a 100th birthday on Zoom sounds like a lot of fun! On that note, how is the COVID pandemic affecting your work with Lori’s Hands? How are students and volunteers doing during this challenging time, from your perspective?
It is very different doing most of our work remotely. Our students and clients have worked really hard to make the most of the circumstances, however. It has been encouraging to see how much our students want to do for our clients – from contactless grocery shopping to phone calls to virtual discussion and trivia events. And our clients continue to share so much wisdom and knowledge with students. It has been great to see everyone’s creativity too – from group FaceTime calls to texting pictures of gardens to watching the same movie to then discuss together – Lori’s Hands partnerships look a little bit different right now, but they are still growing strong.
Tell us a little bit about where Lori’s Hands is today and what your dreams are for the future. Where do you see us in 5, 10 years?
Lori’s Hands has long dreamed of creating more college student – community member partnerships by launching new chapters. This past year, we have seen this dream come to reality when we received federal funding to launch our second chapter in Baltimore, MD. We also received funding from the Michigan Health Endowment Fund to plan the launch of a third chapter in Metro Detroit, MI. Lori’s Hands is an intuitively replicable model. I know we will learn a lot through this period of growth and look forward to using this gained knowledge to continue to launch new chapters and further expand our impact in the future.
Program Director Maggie Ratnayake presents a scholarship to student volunteer Shannon Murphy at our 2018 Green Ribbon Gala.
Finally, what advice do you have for current students about how to approach our volunteer experience with Lori’s Hands?
Be open to what you might learn, experience, and do. People often ask us how much information we gather from students and clients in order to make matches. To many people’s surprise, we don’t conduct personality tests or gather a thorough list of interests and hobbies. Yet, what we find time and time again is that volunteers and clients discover they have so much in common – far more than we could have imagined or even crafted. I have no idea what a student and client will bond over. It may be learning to knit or garden, a shared career path, or even a competitive game of ping pong. Go into the experience seeking to gain an appreciation for someone else – someone who may be different from you and with whom you may not otherwise have had an opportunity for conversation. When you do, you will never be disappointed.
Board member Mike Smith and Program Director Maggie Ratnayake organize Thanksgiving meals cooked by the UD College of Health Sciences faculty and staff for delivery to our clients in November 2019.
