By Sigrid Ueblacker
A few summers ago a quiet young man came to our facility to work. I don’t even remember his name. But I remember him for who he was and what he said. He brought all the necessary paperwork from the courts. He chose our facility to volunteer for community service. He was assigned the job of cleaning and caring for the rabbits each Sunday morning. It appeared that he liked caring for these gentle soft-eyed creatures. He learned well and I think he liked his job. He seemed troubled and never talked much, just did his work. I did not ask either, it is better to be quiet and wait for a person to talk about himself.
One Sunday afternoon, when the work was completed he took off the Walkman he always wore and told me that in two weeks he would be finished here and would be able to put all his troubles behind him. He would even be allowed to see his little baby daughter again. I was happy for him, because when he talked about his child there was a beautiful spark in his eyes.
This was the first time I fully understood the concept of this program. We always appreciate the help we receive from the community service volunteers and we always go out of our way to make them comfortable. It is the decent thing to do. Who am I to throw the first stone? Nobody is perfect.
But on this bright Sunday afternoon I realized that we do more than just help birds fly free again, we also help troubled people find their path once more. It was a wonderful feeling. I hope this young man continues to put his life together and I often wonder about him - just as I do about the birds we release.
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