As an Lyft driver, Charlie picked up two employees from Maybelle Center over the course of several weeks. These conversations had such a profound impact on him that he felt inspired to become a volunteer at Maybelle Center.
An interview with Charlie Goessler, Maybelle Center Volunteer
You heard about Maybelle Center in a very unconventional way. Can you tell us more about that?
Charlie (he/him): I drive part-time for Uber and Lyft and I gave a ride to a young lady headed to Maybelle Center. And she shared how she’d never worked anywhere she’s treated with this much respect and kindness. The way she was talking, it was like those values were being lived out in the way they treated even the employees.
When a vision is so clear and so consistently communicated that it affects the members you're serving, and it affects your employees and volunteers—I thought, wow, that’s really something.
And then I gave a ride to a young guy who was just getting off work at Maybelle Center and it was the same thing! It was early in the morning, he’d put in a night shift, and he just talked about the mission, the people he works with, and the respect he's shown. And I thought, “That's it, I have to find out more about this organization!”
Those initial conversations in the car drove you to learn more about Maybelle Center. What prompted you to dive in as a regular volunteer?
I love the mission of Maybelle Center: trying to draw people out of isolation. And isolation really is a killer, particularly for people that are distressed. I think we as adults need safe, supportive, affirming people to survive trauma. So that's what brought me here.
It’s important to me to treat everybody with dignity, with respect, with kindness. I’ve seen first-hand how there are a lot of people who don't have someone in their life that speaks in an affirming and positive way.
When I went through volunteer orientation it was like, wow, somebody's infected everybody here with this idea of treating people with respect and kindness no matter who they are or how they look.
As a volunteer, what do you do at Maybelle Center and how do you experience it interrupting social isolation?
I volunteer in the Community Room, and I bring my cribbage board. I've been hanging out and learning people's names and their stories. Just giving people undivided attention is an amazing gift. One of the best gifts you can give another person is undivided, non-judgmental, affirming attention—holy cow, that heals.
It can even be pretty simple, like I was talking with a young guy who was like, "I'm really into art" and I go, “Oh, really? Do you have any pictures of your art on your phone?” And he pulled his phone out and started flipping through things. So, then we started sharing with others at the table, “Oh, hey, look at this—have you seen this kid's art?” And then everybody else kind of started to connect a little bit, too.
It's amazing. It's so enriching, honestly.
What would you say to someone who was considering volunteering at Maybelle Center?
Maybelle Center is what they appear to be, and they value the things they say they do. They respect other people, and they honor the dignity of human life. And if you're willing to give more than you think you're gonna get, then you'll get a whole lot more out of it.
You know, active listening is a skill you can develop for a lifetime. We have two ears and one mouth, and we're supposed to use them in that ratio. And I'm afraid I get mine upside down all the time—I use my mouth twice as much as my ears. But I learn more, and I think I help more, when I listen.