Welcome, New Affiliate: Do for One
Hope for New York added two new affiliates this summer. Join us in welcoming Do for One and Safe Families for Children to our affiliate family! (We'll tell you more about Safe Families for Children in the coming days.)
Do for One pairs volunteers with New Yorkers living with disabilities in order to facilitate genuine connection and friendship. Do for One’s mission is “to instill dignity and purpose for people with disabilities through the power of relationships.”
Do for One is also the recent nonprofit winner of Center for Faith & Work’s Entrepreneurship and Innovation Pitch night. The Center for Faith and Work recognizes nonprofit leaders that are working to advance the Gospel in their business or initiative.
We asked Director Andrew Oliver to answer a few questions about his involvement with Do for One, his passion for people with disabilities, and his hope for the future of this organization.
Tell us about your work with Do for One:
The motivation for my work is simply this: the people. The interactions I can have with people on the margins is an incredible gift. When I get to be the one who discovers gifts and talents someone has, and hearing people’s laughter, their unfiltered thoughts or even seeing subtle facial expressions that say more than words, it’s all very inspiring to me. Meeting incredible people that deserve to be seen and known and a world that needs to go on this treasure hunt! It’s to discover a profound dimension of the presence of God’s love.
What can volunteers expect from working with Do for One?
At our gatherings, we try to maintain an atmosphere where there is no pretense. People are welcomed to be their own quirky selves and that fosters a celebration of what it is to be human, in need of love and each other, regardless of seeming differences. There is an opportunity to grow through reflecting on the realities of what kind of wounds vulnerable people often experience and the power of Christ’s love to redeem everything and renew our vision for the world.
What prompted you to start Do for One?
One thing that motivated me to start Do For One was the gut feeling that I wasn’t the only one yearning for an authentic way to outwardly express the truth of who Jesus is and how he loves. God has a special place in his heart for those on the margins and that he’s calling many of us to have a personal association with them.
What does being an affiliate of HFNY mean to you and your organization?
Everyone at HFNY has been amazing in the way they listened and cared for the heart and vision behind Do For One. It’s affirming that HFNY has a desire to support our efforts in addressing the needs of adults with disabilities, a frequently overlooked and misunderstood demographic in our city and world.
What is the message you most want people to understand about Do for One?
It’s important that people know that Do For One is not an organization that builds segregated programs for the developmentally disabled. We provide a thoughtful and structured process that invites the poor, the lame, the blind to our dinner table (Luke 14). It’s there that we learn an important aspect of what the Kingdom of God is like.
Do for One is looking for volunteers to serve as advocates for their partners with disabilities. We’re so pleased to welcome Do for One to our group of affiliates and ask for you to pray faithfully with us as we walk with them to serve the marginalized in New York. For more information or to volunteer, visit their affiliate page.