Bob & Ina Vandermaas
Bob and Ina Vandermaas began volunteering at Emmanuel Home more than 20 years ago. Ina and her sister-in-law did a lot of the baking, and helped serve Christmas dinners to the residents. Bob played games with the residents, helped at the bazaar and drove the residents around for their weekly shopping!
Now it was their turn to move into Emmanuel Home. They were somewhat apprehensive about this change in their lives, however, after being on the wait list for a few years, a suite became available. Just thinking about the move was very stressful! Where will we put all our things?
Once they actually moved in, placed their furniture and purchased a few new things, it began to feel like their home! Right from the first night they slept well.
At first, it felt very strange walking the hallways. “Why are we here?” Ina would ask. Then when she entered her suite, she knew–this is home!
“Every night I prayed to God and thanked him for bringing us here. This is the best place for us to be. We love it here.” Ina proudly shows off all their precious things that help to make her feel at home. “This is our home” she says, with a smile on her face.
Bob still continues to volunteer at Emmanuel Home, and they regularly visit and have coffee with the other residents.
