Care Teams Success Story: A Tale of Two Jackies
August 13, 2025
The willingness and compassion of the volunteer’s heart is truly amazing, it can even be life-changing for both the volunteer and the recipients of their service. When an enthusiastic volunteer teams up with another and visits a frazzled Caregiver and their loved one, there is a possibility of powerful connection. When volunteers Katie Mahaffey and Heather Barr teamed up with Family Caregiver Jackie Leone and her mother, Care Recipient Jackie Lent, what occurred was truly a success story. The Caregiver calling it “remarkable, powerful.” The Care Recipient saying of the volunteers, they are a “bright light in my life.” The volunteers of their experience shared, “It is life giving,” and about the Care Recipient she’s such a “delightful person.” This was such an amazing connection of volunteers to Care Participants, that we just had to share their story.
Caregiver Jackie signed up with Full Life’s Care Teams Program because she wanted social connection for her mother, who she supports as a family caregiver. The program offers respite, and for Caregiver Jackie this looked like offering companionship for her mom. Since the Care Team started visiting, she shares that she has noticed a real shift for her mom — “her mood has lifted, and she really enjoys the connection with her two new friends.” She says that she really couldn’t “quantify the value” of what she receives from having the Care Team visit with her mother. It makes her very happy to see her mom’s elevated countenance and recognizes that this special relationship is a major contributor.
Caregiver Jackie shares:
“I will never forget the day I received an outreach phone call from Tenegu Negi from Full Life Care. As Tenegu spoke about the Full Life Care programs and what they offered and as he listened to me tell some of the story of my mother and myself, I was incredulous that there was an organization such as Full Life Care. Full Life Care provides a variety of support services to low-income elderly and disabled people and their caregivers. I had grown accustomed to feeling tired, anxious and alone as I endeavored to provide my mom a safe, secure, comforting daily life. I have witnessed my mother’s suffering from chronic, debilitating pain for the last twenty years due to spinal disease. Her suffering is now compounded with the aging process and additional physical ailments. As aware as I am of my mother’s needs and frailty, I am unable to meet all of her needs, and I was finding that I had my own needs that I also had to tend to so I could continue daily life. The respite I needed was made possible in the form of Full Life Care. Heather and Katie who volunteer for Full Life Care Teams have given respite, joy, empathy, and connection to my mother’s life as well as my own. Their visits with my mother have grown into a nurturing relationship between them while also allowing me to have some time free of worry about my mother’s well-being. Their presence has brought light and support to us when it has been so sorely needed. I am unable to put into words the deep gratitude I feel for Full Life Care and Heather and Katie. They have made all the difference, in not one, but two lives.”
The Care Recipient, also known as Jackie, established a career as an empowerment coach basing her coaching technique on Clarrisa Pinkola Estés’ well-known book, “Women who Run with the Wolves.” “Once an empowerment coach always an empowerment coach,” she says. So, she is not one for small talk but wants to quickly converse on a deeper level and her two volunteers were ready and willing to go there too. She said that she felt like she was “in a desert” before they came into her life as she had recently moved to the area and hadn’t yet built community. The volunteers have provided connection, and she has mentored them on their life journeys. Jackie stated, “They validated my work, and I validate them on their journey.”
Care Recipient Jackie shares:
“After barking to my daughter that I did not want to sit around and shoot the breeze with volunteers who wanted to come and ‘visit a Senior.’ I heard her say ‘mom, keep an open mind.’ So, I did. And with that I became open to meeting Katie and Heather, the volunteer team assigned to visit me. Strange as it may seem, I immediately knew it was a miracle made in heaven that these effusive women full of love and light were now standing in my living room. What’s more they agreed to read the book ‘Women Who Run with the Wolves’ and to accompany me on an Inward Bound Adventure where I use a version of Jungian analysis ‘to sing over the bones’ (aka story trading each week) through myths and stories of the Wild Woman archetype. What started as a simple get together with Katie and Heather brought me back to life again by allowing me to do my work of traveling inward.”
When talking with the Care Team (Katie and Heather) who volunteered to support these two Jackies, it is clear to see that they feel the same about their visits. They signed up as volunteers to support Caregiver respite and for Caregiver Jackie that meant spending time with her mom, which they’ve gladly done as they share a common goal —a ritual of connection. Katie has written the following essay that describes this experience for her and teammate Heather.
Volunteering with Full Life: A Ritual of Connection and Care
Every week, a small ritual unfolds that has come to define our time as volunteers—not just what we do, but how we arrive.
We carpool in, often clutching coffee cups and balancing a box of baked goods. There’s laughter even before we step out of the car, and by the time we reach Jackie’s door, we’re already feeling the lift that comes from community. She welcomes us with hugs and a smile that always says, I’m so glad you’re here.
Jackie’s apartment is a reflection of her spirit—warm, inviting, and brimming with creative energy. Red accents play off her signature red lipstick, making the space feel bold and alive. A Buddha statue looks down from an armoire, silently grounding the room, while a vibrant Roy Lichtenstein print adds a splash of pop-art levity from across the way. It’s not just a place to meet, it’s a place to be seen, heard, and held.
We settle in around her large dining table, Jackie in the center. Cookies are passed around. A candle is lit. And then Jackie begins, her voice steady and strong as she opens her dog-eared copy
of Women Who Run with the Wolves. The reading grounds us, anchoring our work in shared values and deep reflection. Before diving into the tasks at hand, we pause to check in, sharing snippets of our lives and listening—truly listening—to each other. Jackie calls this “singing over the bones”.
This is volunteering, yes. But it’s also something deeper. It’s community care. It’s mutual support. It’s the quiet power of showing up for others and, in doing so, being nourished ourselves.
And through it all, there is gratitude. Gratitude for the chance to give our time, to be part of something meaningful, to share space with kind, thoughtful people. Volunteering doesn’t just change the lives of those we serve—it changes us. It reminds us that we are part of something larger, something compassionate and beautiful—it becomes a practice in kindness, intention, and love. For that, we are endlessly thankful.
Each Care Team has its own unique story, and we’ve seen a diverse array of life-enriching outcomes since launching in 2022. If you have been contemplating volunteering for a program where your presence could make a difference, consider the Care Teams program. And if you’re a Caregiver who would really appreciate emotional and social support from 2-3 willing volunteers, please contact us. We are grateful for the many volunteers who contribute time to Full Life Care programs, and we look forward to supporting family Caregivers who are ready for much needed respite.