The Volunteer of the Month for March 2022, is Joan Clayborn. For the March 6 service, she “stepped up to the plate” and served as substitute speaker, giving her husband’s sermon on “The Seven-Eight Principles of UU-ism, II.” This was despite being shy about speaking in public. The 24 members and guests attending the service — our first live service in two years! — were delighted with her performance.
This was not the first time she has been seen at the podium, though. As a member of the Worship & Arts Committee, Joan has often read a brief opening and lit our chalice to start a Sunday service.
Joan is also serving on the Membership Committee, often serving as the secretary and delivering accurate minutes within a few hours after a meeting has ended. She has always been very engaged with the sending of holiday cards in December and is very active with this year’s trial project of sending out birthday cards to members and friends of UUFE. She is very diligent in maintaining the database for members, and making sure that information in the Directory is accurate.
With her husband Ken, she has been active in supplying our Food Pantry. Together they buy food for the pantry, and stock the storage shelves inside UUFE as well as the outside pantry box.
Joan has taken a keen interest in maintaining the buildings and the campus of UUFE. Even during our two years of COVID, she was in the buildings to clean and empty trash baskets, while outside she has been very active in keeping the grounds attractive and pleasing to the eye.
Joan has recently taken on the task of helping proofread the FOCUS before it goes to print. Whenever we again have potluck dinners (soon, we all hope!), we are sure to see Joan doing her best to clean ALL the dishware before people take their dishes home.
Joan’s love of life and her enthusiasm for UUFE — the buildings and grounds, yes, but especially all the people in the UUFE community — is known to us all. She is truly a person who believes in our Beloved Community and shows her love for it!