“The Power of Giving: Stories of Volunteerism” – Story #5

Dwayne Bethea is a 46 year-old African American business analyst, who volunteers two evenings a week tutoring a group of children at St. Luke’s LifeWorks, a homeless shelter in Stamford. He also volunteers once a week reading to a blind woman in a nursing home through the auspices of Volunteer Services for the Blind. Mr. Bethea grew up in a poor, broken family in the Bronx, New York. He decided that having achieved educational and financial success for him self and his family was not enough and has been involved in numerous volunteer activities for years. Through volunteering, he has “re-defined” who he is as an individual and it has provided him with a “new value system.” This was reinforced when he was laid off for 11 months last year and came to realize that his identity and self-worth are not based on work or social status, but through community service.

Connecticut Public Broadcasting Network – © 2009