TOPEKA, Kan. (WIBW) – Serving others has always been a priority for Brenda Groves.
“I had truly been volunteering, kind of out in the community post-COVID, trying to figure out kind of where I was supposed to be,” said Groves, a SENT Topeka volunteer.
When she stepped into SENT Topeka’s South Side Fueling Station in September 2024, she found more than just a place to volunteer.
“There’s just something magical about this building since I’ve kind of walked into it, so it doesn’t matter like how heavy life is out there when I come in here, like everything’s… I don’t know. It’s just life is better, I think, that sense of serving, the gratitude of the people that we serve every day,” Groves said.
Jonathan Sublet, SENT Topeka executive director, said Groves’ joy in serving is contagious, and everyone who comes through the doors knows her.
“I’ve been able to connect with people from intake to actually personally shopping to walking them out to their car and thanking them for allowing us to serve them, so those relationships have been very important, and they come back every week and they share their stories and what successes they know, what challenges they had, and then how they overcame that,” Groves said.
It’s not just the people she loves; it’s the organization and her part in it.
“We have job descriptions that we had to review and sign, like we knew exactly what our role was. We knew what the mission was and we knew how they wanted us to serve, and they made sure that we had the tools to do so,” Groves explained.
“I’ve had family members and friends and then even like my grandchildren to see them give back at a young age already is pretty inspiring,” she said.
Groves believes there’s a place for everyone in serving and offers this advice if you’re looking to start:
“Don’t stop if that first job, that first role doesn’t really fit who you are, and try something new. Don’t give up because it will come. It took me a minute to get here, and now that I’m here, I’m home.”
A link to apply to volunteer can be found HERE.
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