Donna's devotion to her shelter guests
Donna Galindo walked down the hallway of the Washington Street Shelter greeting everyone she passed on her way to her office. She walked to her desk, sat down, turned on her computer before opening a folder, and pulling out several sheets of paper. Donna joined the St. Vincent de Paul family seven months ago from another agency. In her short time with SVdP at WSS she has made a definite impact. Whether it's getting a job for a WSS resident, housing or just being a friend or confidant, she is valued and trusted.
"She's wonderful," said Regina Winningham, a WSS resident, wiping away tears rolling down her cheeks. "She's a very understanding person and easy to communicate with. She has a big heart. She helped me buy a new phone. She's done a lot for me. She's a very good person."
Laurie Samuels, another WSS resident, said Donna's friendliness and support doesn't even stop at the human guests.
"She helps everybody. Not just humans but animals too. Animals stress just as much as we do. So, it's nice to have that person who understands both the dog and the human," she said.
Donna is careful not to make herself the focal point of anyone else's story, but she uses her own life struggles to help others deal with and beat their very own hardships.
"I've had some challenges in my life, " Donna said. "Although my dad has passed now, I still hear him. Whenever I feel like dropping and giving up, my dad tells me don't you dare. I try to share that, not that specific story, but that feeling with the residents. I met my trials head on and beat them. I let my residents know they can do that as well."
Donna feels it's extremely important to celebrate each and every victory of the residents, big or small. Realizing goals is what she works hard to accomplish with the residents, and she knows it's the first real step towards standing on their own.
"I'm trying to get them to see that the world is not all bad," she said. "My goal is to help them live their best life. And it is up to them to see what their best life is, and I'm going to help them get there."
