Vicki Carrillo came by her volunteer spirit naturally. “As a child,” she remembers, “I grew up in a very religious family, and we were always participating in the community church. My mother continued that tradition of supporting the church with volunteer service in Mexico. Later, she moved to Oklahoma City and continued her volunteer work.” That inspiration and experience were all Vicki needed. “I started doing the same with my children about 18 years ago because we have faith that if we help others, they will help someone else,” she says, putting the ‘pay it forward’ concept into action!
“At St. Francis of Assisi parish,” Vicki says, “there are always opportunities to volunteer, and I started looking for the opportunities available for our children. They participated for a long time and learned a lot. Even during college, they would come home just to volunteer, preparing food for farmworkers. I really appreciate that our church is always looking for ways to support the community, especially immigrants; it’s truly inspiring.” She adds, “At St. Francis, modelling our faith is done by creating volunteer opportunities for members, as well as being inclusive and creating opportunities for fellowship by supporting community members in celebrating Catholic traditions from our many cultures, traditions such as the Mexican Nativity play and the Rosary of Our Lady of Guadalupe.”
Her family truly felt welcomed at St. Francis, and they continued to share that spirit of welcome with those they serve. “The most rewarding aspect of volunteering,” she says, “is the gratitude of the people I help. When I bring food to the farmworkers, or when I teach children to dance at ‘Little Giants,’ just seeing their smiles, and hearing from their parents that seeing their children perform a traditional dance from their own culture was a dream come true; those expressions of gratitude are priceless.”
When asked how people can get involved in volunteering, she says, “My suggestion to anyone who wants to support, give, and share their skills with others is to consider the unique personal satisfaction they will receive from personifying Jesus’ call.” She feels that those who ‘give’ out of a sense of gratitude for what they have are modeling God’s love for us all. “Being grateful is good for us, and gratitude is love. Just as God loves us, we can love others through our actions; by doing so, we are actually thanking God for all we have.”