Service by volunteer Betty Eves, 92, celebrated by organization
VANCOUVER – Friends of the Carpenter, located at 1600 W 20th Street, has reopened its doors after months of closure due to once necessary government restrictions implemented for health and safety reasons. Hours of operation are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday.
Two popular programs have returned including Wednesday Activities, held 1 to 3 p.m. weekly on Wednesdays, and Show & Tell, held 9:30 to 11 a.m. on the second Saturday of each month. Wednesday Activities vary from week to week and Show & Tell is an opportunity for people to meet fellow woodworkers, enjoy fellowship, bring a finished project to share and get more supplies.
“We are delighted to have the doors of our Friendship Center once again open to offer people the loving, accepting and nurturing community they need to realize their true value,” shared Tod Thayer, executive director. “While we have missed seeing so many of our participants and volunteers, we are especially grateful to once again have Miss Betty back in her chair, sanding wood pieces, mentoring participants and helping out with a variety of volunteer opportunities.”
Affectionately known as “Miss Betty,” Betty Eves, age 92, has been volunteering at Friends of the Carpenter since 2014, coming in each weekday.
Eves has led a storied life, from supporting herself since the tender age of 12 to becoming the first female Federal Reserve guard in the United States, where she worked from 1977 to 1991. She has volunteered her time to missionary work since 1991, traveling to Mexico, Haiti, Austria, the Pacific Northwest and ultimately back to Vancouver in 2009.
Aging hasn’t slowed her down, even after suffering a fall and broken hip just three months ago.
“My desire to come back to this community and ministry is what helped me to heal so fast,” Eves said with a smile. “I credit my long life to never dwelling on the negative and always feeling blessed and grateful.”
About Friends of the Carpenter
Friends of the Carpenter was incorporated in Vancouver in Oct. 1998 and began as a vision of a practical outreach of simple welcome and personal interaction between volunteers from the church and people living in poverty. Since the beginning, regular contact has been made with vulnerable members of our community through woodworking events scheduled around the area and which, today, are mostly held at FOC’s Friendship Center. Its mission: Friends of the Carpenter is a non-profit, faith-based day facility that provides safety, structure and purpose for vulnerable members of our community.
Learn more at friendsofthecarpenter.org.
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