Volunteer Spotlight: Marji Freeman

What motivates you to volunteer?I like to volunteer because I like to support others, do a variety of things, serve a purpose, stay busy, and meet people. Volunteering let’s you do all of these things.Why ACR?I liked ACR from the first time I stepped into the store—ACR had me at fabric! As I learned about the mission of ACR I really came to appreciate the organization. I was going to ACR once a week with my friend, Deedy. Shortly after I retired from my life’s work, it was time to find what my life’s work would be in retirement. One day Carol said, “you know, if you volunteer here you can also shop.” With that I decided to see if I really could be of help to ACR and feed my soul at the same time. It was a match!!How long have you volunteered with ACR?I retired in November 2016 and started volunteering after that.Are you more into the arts aspect of ACR or the conservation aspect and why?If truth be told, I was into fabric when I started at ACR, but today, I am more into the conservation aspect of the organization and, of course, I am still into fabric.Where else have you/do you volunteer?I also volunteer at the food bank in their kitchen. I get to work on a lot of different things, from chopping onions, to traying up meals, to washing dishes. I also love my work with Project Linus. I love making flannel blankets and fleece blankets that go to children in need. ACR is where I get most of my fabric for these blankets, making it more affordable to do and supporting the reuse of materials. Each of these volunteer opportunities are different from each other, fulfilling my desire to have variety in what I do, keeping busy, helping in different ways, and meeting people.What do you enjoy the most out of volunteering for ACR?One of the things I especially like about volunteering at ACR is the variety of people I get to meet. I am grateful that I am supporting our environment through ACR, and yes, I get to work with fabric.Do you have any interesting or funny stories about something that happened while you were volunteering at ACR?Recently, Deedy and I went to the Longhorn volleyball game at Gregory Gym. Sitting in front of us and a couple of seats to the left of us was Kelly, also a Monday morning volunteer. We spotted each other and our mouths dropped open. We were so surprised and so delighted to see each other. It turns out we have sat in those same seats for the last couple of years, but we didn’t know each other until this summer when we met at ACR.Learn more about becoming a Core Volunteer at Austin Creative Reuse here.