Welcome back! We are so excited to introduce you to this next couple. They have been supporters and volunteers at Bella Vita since they moved to Starke County in 2010. They are a remarkable couple, and it’s amazing to see how God has worked in their lives over the past nine years. Today we are going to give you a small look into this couple’s lives who volunteer, support, and dedicated to helping Bella Vita succeed in helping our community. We would like to introduce you to Mark and Shirley Rippy! Together they both volunteer in specific areas and are always willing to help when needed. We wish in this blog that we could tell you everything this couple does for our clients and for us, but we would be here all day!
Mark and Shirley Rippy started their journey with Bella Vita back in 2011 when we were in our first location on South Heaton Street. They attended one of our fundraising walkathon events because they’re both Pro-Life and wanted to see what Bella Vita was all about. We were still new to the area at the time, so it’s exciting to hear this couple’s story of how they’ve grown with us over the years! Since then, both Mark and Shirley have supported Bella Vita with their time, money, and resources. Mark Rippy is a mentor for our male clients, he also volunteers when we need him, and goes the extra mile for our clients every time. Mark really became involved with Bella Vita when he sat next to Angie and Becky at a partnership lunch-in. While talking, Angie said something about needed a mentor for a young male client. On the spot, Mark agreed to be a mentor! Up until this point, Mark and Shirley had only been financial supporters of Bella Vita. So it’s amazing to see their growth as a couple, and the impact Mark has had on our male clients he mentors.
While we were talking to Mark his wife told us a story about one of his mentees. A while back Mark had to undergo a major surgery in Chicago and before Mark went back for surgery his first mentee, Nick, arrived at the hospital to see him. Nick ended up staying with Shirley for the full nine hour surgery and then stayed with her until Mark was brought back into his hospital room in intensive care. Shirley said that Nick did all of that and then took close to three hours home by public transportation, but he didn’t care because he wanted to there for his mentor.
It’s stories like this that warms our hearts here at Bella Vita! Shirley Rippy works at a full-time job, so she volunteers when she can, and she donates items Bella Vita clients need (like our recent need for crockpot donations). It was amazing talking to Shirley because she has such a big heart for our mission and for our clients! Shirley is a huge supporter of Bella Vita’s lifestyle classes that we offer. She said, “We support the community garden and Bella Vita’s classes that they do here because it’s awesome! They’re teaching people skills that are no longer being taught. Learning how to cook, how to budget money for groceries, and just learning basic skills. It’s so important and needed in our community”. We asked Mark and Shirley what they liked most about Bella Vita they said that they love that Bella Vita fills a void that a lot of people have in their lives right now. They went on to say: “(Bella Vita) Shows the community a loving purpose which is something that some of our clients have never experienced before. Bella Vita also gives them options that some of our clients didn’t even know they had”. Yes! There are so many options for mothers and for couples who are experiencing an unexpected pregnancy. Mark and Shirley went on to say that Bella Vita gives Mark & Shirley Rippy people the community that they may have never said. Bella Vita offers a support system for anyone who walks through their door. We then asked Mark and Shirley about how they believed people can help Bella Vita today and what they would say to those who don’t think they can help a crisis pregnancy center. They both agreed that if a person is not able to volunteer their time then there are other ways to be involved and help. Mark and Shirley both started as financial donors for Bella Vita and over time have slowly gotten more involved with us. Mark said: “…we need people who are just willing to help. I have never regretted my time or effectors that I have put into Bella Vita. Yes, there were some hard days when I am mentoring a young man, but the good days outweigh the bad days”.
Mark went on to say that those who doubt that they can help, you don’t need to have a college degree or your ducks in a row. No, you only need to have a heart for people and the willingness to come in to help those people. If you want to be a mentor, you need the ability to listen and to be strong for the person you’re mentoring! Shirley went on to say: “Everybody has something to give! Everyone has talents and skills that they can bring in. Even though I work full time and have a full plate already, I do my best to help out when and where I can. I am a firm believer that volunteerism impacts the volunteer more than it does the organization. So if you want to feel good, do something for someone else”. Towards the end of our time with Mark and Shirley, we asked them the same question we have asked everyone else we’ve talked to, what have they gotten out of Bella Vita? They were silent for a few moments before answering, saying that being someone’s mentor and volunteering gives them the best feeling in the world! Mark said that this question is hard for him because he has gotten so many things out of his time at Bella Vita. His time here has given him a positive platform to help someone else and allows him to share his faith with others. “. . . given me the opportunity to watch people I mentor grow over time and pull themselves out of negative situations or change their negative behavior(s). There’s no greater feeling than seeing people change for the better!” Shirley agreed and went on to say that if you’re Pro-Life or say you want to help the community, then you have to walk-the-walk not just talk-the-talk. “You have to put some skin in the game, and I promise you won’t regret it!” Can you feel the love that this couple has for our community and our clients? We love having them on our team and being able to see how they just love on our community. We wish we could put everything that Mark and Shirley said in our time with them in this blog, but we would be here all day chatting about them. We hope you enjoyed getting to know just a small glimpse into the lives of Mark and Shirley Rippy. They both have a burning passion for our community, Bella Vita, and the people of Starke County. It has been an incredible journey with Mark and Shirley, and we can’t wait to see what the future holds for them!