Suzanne Rappaport

Suzanne - Volunteer of the Month

Today we thank Suzanne for all of her dedication and efforts. Please take a moment to read about her below! What if you could give a homeless individual the gift of good will? What if you could help them come out of isolation and feel like they are a welcome member of the community? This is exactly what Suzanne, a longtime, regular volunteer at the Friday Night Supper Program does on a weekly basis.

Suzanne takes on the crucial task of listening – to complaints, concerns, jokes and comments, whatever our guests want to talk about, helping them to feel heard and valued. Many of our guests view her as a friend and give her small gifts at the holidays. Suzanne brings her personal passion, expertise and dedication to each guest and every task at FNSP, as she does in her daily work as an occupational therapist. Occupational therapy helps people across the lifespan to do the things they want and need to do through the therapeutic use of daily activities or occupations. They enable people of all ages to live life to its fullest by helping them promote health, and prevent-or live better with-injury, illness, or disability. Listening skills and patience are important attributes of occupational therapists – some clients achieve results in a few weeks or months while some may take years. Suzanne’s extraordinary patience has contributed to her success as an occupational therapist and as a vital member of the FNSP volunteer team.

When asked what motivates her to give her time to FNSP every week, Suzanne states simply, “I like to do meaningful work for others” and then focuses her answer toward gratitude for how FNSP helps her. “FNSP gives me a great sense of community and connection that is different from my occupational therapy work. I like the feeling of accomplishment – we work together, help the people who need us, then we are done by the end of the night and everything is neatly wrapped up”. Suzanne is one of our volunteer leaders at FNSP, bringing her skills to the work in a concrete and meaningful way. Whether she is directing the dinner service, the clean-up after dinner or filling in wherever help is needed, Suzanne ensures that our Friday night meal is delivered efficiently, and all guests’ needs are met. Suzanne is one of the volunteers who makes FNSP happen. We are so grateful that she has found a home at FNSP for her drive to help at risk people.