United Way: Volunteer uses acts of kindness to help people who are hurting

When a neighbor, who is a single mom with four kids, was butting heads with her teen-aged daughter over schoolwork, Beth Ann Bittlingmayer stepped in to offer homework help.

When a young mom down the street was in a childcare crunch and needed someone to babysit her little one so she could make it to work, Bittlingmayer was happy to help.

When the kids in her community, Delaware Street Commons, want to throw a party or put on dinner for their families, Bittlingmayer is the one they call on to help them.

For this United Way of Douglas County Wallace Galluzzi Outstanding Volunteer, spontaneous volunteering is just a way of life. Bittlingmayer’s list of official volunteer activities is a long one. She serves as a Stephen Minister at Plymouth Congregational Church, providing one-on-one listening for people going through challenges like the death of a loved one, addiction, job loss or depression. She is also a leader and sponsor with Al-Anon. And she volunteers at Ten Thousand Villages, a free trade retail store.

But even longer is the list of her unofficial volunteer work: daily acts of kindness and compassion. When she is not at work at Brandon Woods, where she is a speech pathologist, she’s reaching out to others who are going through hard times, offering a listening ear, words of encouragement or help in a bind.

About this story

Micki Chestnut is communications director for the United Way of Douglas County, which provides occasional features spotlighting local volunteers and charities supported by the United Way.

“Today, I started my day at 7:30 with breakfast with someone I am helping through the Stephen Ministry at my church,” Bittlingmayer said. “This afternoon I have an older friend and she doesn’t have a car, and we are going out for coffee. It’s two hours of volunteer work, but in a way I enjoy and can fit into my life. How hard is that?”

“Beth Ann awaits no job description as she goes about creating a more livable community for those around her. She identifies needs and opportunities and takes initiative and follows through,” said Rich Minder, collaborative projects coordinator for the Success By 6 Coalition of Douglas County, who selected Bittlingmayer for the Outstanding Volunteer Award. She was one of 29 area volunteers who was awarded this distinction in April.

In addition, Bittlingmayer has been named a Strengthening Families Ambassador by the Douglas County Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention Task Force, Minder said, for providing a steady presence supporting parents with protective factors that help increase positive outcomes for children and make parenting more successful.

“Loneliness kills. Face-to-face contact makes us happier, healthier and smarter,” Minder said. “Beth Ann provides a compassionate ear to those who grieve, a concrete support to families who need a helping hand, a fun and enriching relationship for children, and solid friendship to relieve the pain of loneliness.”

Bittlingmayer knows firsthand the power of human connection to help people move through hard times and find healing. Within the span of a few months, she suffered the death of three family members and the serious illness of a fourth. “A lot of my healing came through spending time with these kids,” she said, gesturing out her door to her neighborhood at Delaware Street Commons. “Today, as a consequence, I am a lot healthier and happier. I certainly have gotten as much as I have given.”