Veteran volunteers find purpose in helping others
Dec 29, 2017, 11:22 AM | Updated: Oct 1, 2024, 10:01 am
Rochelle Carlotti, 28, shovels steps near her home after a record snowfall on Tuesday, Dec. 26, 2017, in Erie, Pa. The National Weather Service office in Cleveland says Monday's storm brought 34 inches of snow, an all-time daily snowfall record for Erie. (Greg Wohlford/Erie Times-News via AP)
(Greg Wohlford/Erie Times-News via AP)
Bitter cold and record snow dominate parts of the East Coast and Midwest this week.
Erie, Pennsylvania is getting inundated with snow, which poses a unique danger to people with low mobility. They can’t shovel away the snow to clear a path, let alone trudge through it to get essentials like groceries.
That’s where Team Rubicon steps in. Recently, Mary Johnson had her front porch cleared of snow by the all-volunteer group.
“I’ve very grateful. I can’t say thank you enough. For once, it may sound funny but, I feel like someone is actually helping. I just feel good all over,” Johnson said.
Team Rubicon was started for a couple of reasons. First, of course, it feels good to help people in need. And second, for people like Matt Sanders, he does it to help people like himself — a veteran.
Sanders told Erie News Now: “Team Rubicon is all about finding more purpose to serve. There’s a lot of veterans here and when we get out a lot of us are without purpose in a lot of different ways and so being able to find that purpose through the team that the team provides for us – it’s amazing.”
You can read more about Team Rubicon here and learn about how they helped the town clean up after a tornado.
You can hear Colleen O’Brien’s “Daily Dose of Kindness” segment every morning at 7:30 a.m. on KIRO Radio 97.3 FM.
