Reflections of a Bridging Fellow: A Lesson in Human Connection

Guest Blog post by Kirsten Fedorowicz; Quaker Voluntary Service Fellow

Soon after Bridging Founder Fran Heitzman passed in January 2020, I was packing dishes with Pat S., my regular shopping partner. Pat had known Fran since the early 1980s. Usually a playful guy, Pat looked at me seriously and said, “you’re in training to become a Fran.”

I came to Bridging through Quaker Voluntary Service (QVS), an eleven-month fellowship program for young adults. Myself, along with five other people would live in an intentional community and take this time to work at nonprofits across the Twin Cities. I am the second fellow Bridging has welcomed through this partnership; in September, they will welcome a third.

When I applied for QVS, during my senior year of college, I was working part-time at a company where, though I liked the work of producing web content, I felt isolated. I thrived in college; I had, over the course of four years, immersed myself in the small liberal arts college ecosystem. As an introvert, I worried that this first “adult job” was an indication of life after college: I was separated from the friends, clubs, and professors that had defined my adult life so far.

When Pat said that I was “in-training to become a Fran,” I think he meant becoming a person who serves others. While I believe it is important to serve, I think I will take a different lesson from Founder Fran– and from my time at Bridging:

The experience of volunteering at Bridging is about genuine, authentic human connection.

Fran was renowned for his ability to make someone feel special, feel part of something, whether he knew them for 40 years or ten minutes. During my time with Bridging, I’ve grown my capacity for empathy. A shopping appointment for a client’s furniture may only last an hour, but the act of picking out furniture and housewares is an intimate one. Volunteers like Pat taught me the patience and balance required to meet the needs of a stranger.

As an English major, I have often identified myself as writer and storyteller. Working at Bridging – listening to Fran, our donors, our clients, and our staff – has taught me that there are no stories without human connection. That’s why Bridging is so full of “Lives we touch” tales; everyone excels at caring for others.

I’m so grateful for the staff and volunteers that make Bridging such a welcoming place. They have all, in the spirit of Fran, made me feel part of something really, really big. When I walked through the warehouse doors eleven months ago, I could not have imagined all the shared laughter and important conversations I would have.

My supervisor, Client Services Manager Kelly Harding, always says that there is no one way into Bridging; a volunteer can come become a staff member or a client can become a volunteer. As I leave the Bridging staff, I know that I will still be part of that ecosystem as a volunteer. Bridging is such a life-giving place; a person never leaves it fully behind.

Read More from our Awesome QVS Fellows:

• Introducing Kirsten F.!
• A Day in the Life: Bridging Delivers Hope by Eli P.
• A Quaker’s Path to Bridging and Beyond by Eli P.
• About Quaker Voluntary Service