Congratulations to Ed White ...
Hope Center's 2009 Volunteer of Year
In
Ed’s own words:
I really never thought I'd be
honored with any recognition like this because I
really tend to dabble
around the edges of a lot of different things, small things hit-or-miss.
Those little dabblings do add up I suppose. It would be great to think I've
done enough
to inspire someone else to do "more" too, or that this
recognition might do the same.
I guess that's one of the good things about
activism, if anybody notices: it's like drawing
interest on the investment
if you influence someone else while you're just doing
what you do. All the
more reason people should always consider doing more.
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For a man who protests that he hates being around people, Ed cares about
them an awful lot. He cares for his family through tireless housework,
gratefully received cooking, and laugh-filled childcare. He cares for those
who cannot care for themselves: in memoriam - Jan, Wade, Heidi. He
cares for the earth by recycling, conservation activities, and through his
peaceful gardening.
He cares for society through his activism,
righteous anger, and many, many,
many e-mails.
Ed’s soul is fulfilled when he is caring for others, and helping people to
better care for others. Above all things, despite all things, and beyond
all things, Ed will always care for us. -Duren
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Seldom in our
lives are we blessed with someone like Ed. Ed is totally grounded.
He may not know exactly where life may take him but he knows where he has been,
where he is now, and where he wants to go. Ed has learned, as we all must,
that we are living and dying in the same moment.
Ed enjoys the
more simple things in life, such as gardening, far more than commercial
things.
If you spend some time with him, you
will
learn something. It may be days or months
before you realize it. One day
you will do something, say something, or think something,
and ask yourself,
where did that come from? You will remember Ed and realize
you have
learned without ever being taught.
Thank you, Ed. -Vernon Gillian
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Ed White and I
shared a long, hard 18 months many years ago looking after a dear friend
who
absolutely refused to give in to HIV. Ed was not only a wonderful and
compassionate caregiver to our friend, but also a loving and caring man who
helped me take care of myself through the ordeal. Ed, from across the years
and across the miles, I salute you!
Many hugs, Glenn S., Austin TX
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I have known Ed
White since I began volunteering for the Hope Center in 2001. For a
couple of years Ed was simply "The Caregiver" to me; identified by his role as the
person
who did such a great job performing the play of the same name at HIV
workshops. As I began
to volunteer more I began to encounter increasing
numbers of people who knew him
personally as the person behind the
character. They verified that Ed was a caregiver in so
many ways;
tirelessly advocating for the sick and for basic rights of the HIV/AIDS
community.
Personally, I
have received hundreds of e-mails that Ed has generated with timely, helpful
information about real ways to combat the system which oppresses persons
living with HIV/AIDS. Ed is a lion as an advocate and a calm, gentle soul
at heart. I appreciate who
he is in all his complexity as a human being.
Thank you, Ed for all you do.
Congratulations on being selected Volunteer of the Year! -
Terry W
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I am so thrilled to know
that you are honoring Ed White as the Volunteer of the Year.
I have been
the director at the Center for Literacy Studies (CLS) since last July and
I
can't say enough about the talent that he brings to CLS.
If I were to describe Ed
in just 3 words they would be Flexibility, Compassion
and Gentleness. During
these past 4 months we have had to carry on at the center
without an
accountant. With the number of grants we deal with on a daily basis,
the funders and the new proposals we would have been lost without Ed. His
willingness
to be flexible in the moment, to take on new work that he hadn't
done before and learn how,
his stopping what he is doing and going to help
someone who had a financial crisis moment is admirable. "No" isn't a word
he uses much. His compassion with each and every person
in the Center is
obvious every time you pass and catch snippets of his conversation.
People
talk to him because they will get an understanding ear. And finally,
gentleness.
In all the time I have worked here, I have never heard a harsh
word come from Ed.
It is an honor to know
him and even better to be a co-worker.
I
thank you for naming him Volunteer of the Year.
- Geri M.
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I
met Ed when I was matched with Wade Burns as a “buddy” more than 10 years
ago
and our friendship has continued to this day! Ed had been a caregiver
previously so he
was an invaluable mentor for me, providing lots of
practical suggestions and,
more importantly, emotional support in my first
long-term caregiving experience.
(I miss Wade still and can always be
reminded of his sweet spirit and courage when I look
at a great picture of
him that Ed took before Wade’s health began to decline seriously.
It sits
in a place of honor in my living room today.)
Ed has a tremendous
volunteer spirit and attitude: he’s willing to do almost anything he can
to
help someone out….by providing manpower and transportation to move furniture
for friends (and friends of friends!), by landscaping for those who aren’t
physically able, by donating plants he has propagated to various
individuals and also to organizations to assist them with fundraising. Ed
was even willing to learn to sew as we worked together to honor Wade
with
panels for the Quilt and did an admirable job as I KNEW he would.
Ed is a passionate
advocate for caregiving and is one of the most nonjudgmental
and generous
people I know. I am honored to call him my friend.
- Bev P.
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If you
would like to know more about being a member of the
growing care team, contact the
Hope Center at 541-3767
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