Volunteer Adventures

My name is Jodi Larson-Farrow and I have been lucky enough to have volunteered with the IRC for about a year and a half now. What an adventure! I am excited to bounce ideas off of each other, and write about what we are doing so we can get new ideas about what to do with our families. I have learned many lifelong lessons since I have become a volunteer for the IRC. It has been very interesting, emotional, extremely eye-opening, exhausting, and ultimately profoundly rewarding working with refugee families. It has not only been a fantastic experience for my husband and I, but for my teenage son as well. I have been very proud to see him get involved and volunteer his time as well. We all have realized that we are blessed far beyond necessity.

As we all know, a refugee family has so many immediate needs when they first arrive. It can be quite overwhelming to get them established and help provide them with the basic necessities of life. I reach out to family, friends and the community to aid in furnishing their home with basic amenities and clothing for each family member. My faith in the human spirit has totally been restored through their outreach. Because of their help, I have been able to provide my refugee families with all manner of kitchen supplies, furniture, TV’s, DVD players, CD players, videos and clothing.

Besides providing basic necessities, we have been able to enjoy some of the lighter things of life with our refugee families. Since their arrival, we have celebrated their birthdays for the first time! Imagine having turned 67 years old without ever having a birthday celebration. Take that one step further, and think what it might be like if you spent 67 years before you were able to have a photo taken of your family. We take so much for granted!

It is exciting to see the family progress and your heart aches for them when they have trials. You learn so much from their resilience, and from their quest for a better life. You gain an appreciation and an awareness of the things that you are blessed with on a continual basis. There are so many things that I have gained from this experience. Here are just a few things that I have learned during my time as a volunteer with the IRC:


I have learned that an apartment in Idaho during the dead of winter can be heated to the same temperature as Tanzania, Africa.


I have learned that it is exactly 24.9 miles from my home in Nampa to Shannon Glenn Apartments in Boise - one way!


I have learned that you can’t fit 4 people and 15 bags of groceries in a Mustang….......comfortably.


I have learned that pizza could quite possible be an international food.


I have learned that not everyone likes chocolate or ice cream. (Who knew?)


I have learned how to cook fish with head, eyeballs and tail intact.


I have learned that 67 years is far too long to wait for your first family photo or to have your first Birthday Party.


I have learned that progress comes one task at a time, and that steady and small steps are ok and that belief and hope in progress is just as important for progress itself.


I have learned that you can adore a family whom you do not share a language with.



I have learned that family comes to you in many forms and that admiration does not come from understanding one another’s speech, but understanding the need for one another.



I just wanted the opportunity to introduce myself. I am looking forward to sharing experiences back and forth. I will be writing more about what has worked, and sometimes more importantly what has not worked with some of the families that I have had the pleasure of dealing with. I am look forward to reading what other have share!