OUR VOLUNTEERS AT UNDER ONE ROOF: THEIR STORIES

Under One Roof relies on the dedication of a diverse and dedicated set of community volunteers to help us in our activities to raise funds for Bay Area HIV/AIDS service organizations. Our volunteers are sharp, savvy, and sassy—they give our organization a certain “je ne sais quoi ”, as you will see.

Here is a sampling of some of our terrific volunteer supporters:

Volunteer Spotlight: Rob Rosenthal

Friday evenings at Under One Roof are a bit twisted, thanks to the off-the-wall style of Crown Circle Volunteer Rob Rosenthal. Rob's been working the cash register—and Under One Roof customers—since 2000.

“By the time I start my Friday evening shift at UOR, most customers have just finished their work week and are out having fun on the Castro. So I try to add a party atmosphere to the joint,” says Rob. “Forget about calming jazz music. When I'm here, it's '70s and '80s disco all the way. And I'll confess: I turn the music up past the ‘legal' limit. It's amazing how a little Donna Summer can amp up customer excitement.”

On a (rare) serious side, Rob adds, “After my partner died of AIDS, I needed to get myself out of the house and back into life. Volunteering at Under One Roof is the perfect way to honor the memory of Tom, help support the community, and connect with people again.”

Volunteer Spotlight: Jok Church

The Saturday before Thanksgiving 2004, hundreds of supporters filled the Eagle Tavern for a beer bust, auction and raffle benefiting Under One Roof. You could tell it was going to be a special night when you saw the searchlights sweeping the SOMA sky! There were dozens of people involved in the event, but by far the main force was Crown Circle Volunteer Jok Church. With his efforts, meetings, reminders and community outreach, the event was a success in several ways. Under One Roof received over $4000 from the event. Those attending learned more about Under One Roof and our participating agencies and STOP AIDS Project and tweaker.org joined us there to provide education and information. Many people worked hard to make this event a huge success but Jok's leadership brought everyone together to support the fight against AIDS, under a different roof.

Volunteer Spotlight: Pauline Snyder

Recently a letter went out from one of our volunteers, noting what it meant to her to be included in the Under One Roof family. What was special about the letter was it touched on the essence of the organization. In many ways, Under One Roof brings the community together, yes, under one roof. In her letter, she talks about her sense of family, her comfort zone, a source of strength, of belonging, of being able to make a difference. She also talks a little bit about who she isn't. Pauline described herself as an older woman with a cane. Someone who seemingly has little in common with many of those she sees in the store and in the neighborhood. And then she lights up as she talks about how she has so much in common with the other volunteers, and is made to feel welcome by them. She talks about how she can contribute and work with others so that their contribution helps Under One Roof raise almost a million dollars a year in support of AIDS service organizations. She talks of how she has been touched by AIDS and her unwillingness to take a back seat in the fight against it.

Find out more about volunteering at Under One Roof: