Volunteer Scott Grimshaw has been donating his time and talent to Sarah’s House for the past 17 years. Having previously worked with the Prince Georges County Intervention Suicide Hotline, Scott came to our program with a strong interest in reaching out to those in need. He helped to create a parenting skills group called SHINE—Sarah’s House Invests in Nurturing Everyone. Scott regularly facilitates this 10-week group for Sarah’s House guests, addressing such topics as building trust and hope, effective communication, relationships, and responsibility. Through Scott’s outreach over the years, hundreds of guests have from graduated the SHINE program. Participants have learned how to improve their most critical relationship—that between parent and child.
When reflecting upon his volunteer service at Sarah’s House SHINE, Scott shares that “the guests have been through a lot in their lives, but they thought enough about themselves and their children to go to Sarah’s House and to SHINE. They focus on themselves and not their situations. They learn that there is more to each individual than what they have done in the past.” Scott adds that through his work at Sarah’s House he has come to realize “how fortunate we really are and what we have. It’s good to have that reality check at times.”