From Logistics to Lullabies: One Volunteer’s Lasting Impact at Hand in Hand

“Papa Steve!”, “Papa Steve!” the toddler room kids shout as they run out onto the playground, tiny buckets at the ready. Papa Steve, as he’s affectionately known at Hand in Hand, is getting his hands dirty, helping fill the playground with mulch and is having our littlest participants help.

They run to the giant mulch pile. Some of them try to climb to the top of it while others start to fill their small buckets. Once full they struggle to carry them over to the playground, often enlisting a friend to help. They look to Steve for directions and how to help.

This is one of the many things Steve does for Hand in Hand. He’s a handy man, a problem solver, a baby whisperer who can often be found in the infant room rocking babies to sleep.

Steve first connected with Hand in Hand through our Chili Cook-Off, but he’s always been connected to the disability community, as his wife Sue was a special education teacher for 27 years. Steve worked at Fidlar with Dave Steil, one of the co-founders of the organization, and Peter Smith, son of our other co-founders, Mark and Vinnie Smith. Vinnie invited Steve and Sue out to the second Chili Cook-Off, and they’ve been a part of the event ever since. Previously they were a part of the Fidlar chili team but when family obligations pulled them away, they found another way to get involved by being on the Chili Cook-Off committee.

Steve says his favorite part of the Chili Cook-off is the day of the event. He’s known as the logistics guy on the committee and helps do a lot of last minute problem solving.

“Seeing the crowd pour through the door and have a good time is the best feeling. There is a LOT of planning that goes into the event. It is a lot of work for everyone involved, but when the first cups of chili get served, it is all worth it,” he said.

In April of 2023 Steve retired from Fidlar and wanted to find a way to expand his volunteering opportunities at Hand in Hand.

“I’ve always been a baby whisperer. I will be in a restaurant where there is a crying child. I will offer to hold the child while some stressed parents try to enjoy their meal. More often than not, the child not only quiets down, but often falls asleep. When we would have chili meetings in the basement at Tessa’s Place, I would sometimes hear crying upstairs. I said once I retired, I would come back and volunteer in the infant room. I had no idea at that time I would become Papa Steve,” he said.

Now you’ll see Steve as a regular weekly volunteer cuddling babies in the infant room but also jumping into help in other areas when we need it.  

“All of the best times are when I’m Papa Steve. Cuddling little ones is the best for me.  My role has expanded into reading books for the older children.  Because I am a regular volunteer, I am usually greeted at the care room door by one or two children holding a book with outstretched arms wanting me to pick them up and read to them. Papa’s lap usually has 2 friends, but on one occasion, with help from staff, we piled a record 5 children onto Papa’s lap.”

“I retired in April of 2023 and have been a regular weekly volunteer since then. This means that many of my original little friends are now bigger friends. It feels great to be outside on the playground and have a bigger friend run up to me yelling “PAPA!” They are as much a part of my life as I am of theirs,” he said.

In addition to being Papa Steve, he says he also enjoys helping keep things running smoothly at our Tessa’s Place location. His wife calls him a compulsive fixer, and we’ve definitely put his skills to the test.

Steve said, “It might be holding a crying baby, it might be fishing toys out of the pre-school toilet, it might be figuring out why the hallway is hot and the art room is cold, it might be picking up pallets of sand and having little “helpers” empty the bags into the sandbox, it could be changing a lock on the break room door or having keys made for other doors, no matter what, it makes a difference. I love the feeling I get knowing volunteering my time can make a difference.”

Steve says he continues to volunteer year after year because of the need he sees for the services and resources that Hand in Hand provides.

“It would be very hard for them to have enough money to fulfill all of the needs.  I have seen where giving my time makes a big difference. A half day of my time is a small price to pay for the good I do and the good time I have,” he said.

He encourages others to volunteer their time, even if you only have a few hours to spare.

“I would tell anyone thinking about volunteering that every little bit helps. You could spend an hour reading with a child or two.  It could be during the day or after school. You could go on adventures with PWP. You could be a Camp Buddy.  Every little bit helps.  Every little bit is appreciated. And every little bit makes a difference.”

“Budget your time. Put it on your schedule and try to keep it there. Thursdays we go out to breakfast.  Mondays I go to Hand in Hand. You are creating a new habit. Once you make it part of your regular schedule, it is just a normal part of your life,” Steve said.

If you’d like to be like Steve (and who wouldn’t?) learn more about all of our volunteer opportunities here. We’ll even give you your very own nickname.

If you’d like to donate in honor of Steve, he is looking to replace our infant room rocking chairs.

He said, “The Infant Room REALLY needs some new rocking chairs. Unfortunately, these are special childcare safe chairs.  They are about $600 new.  The two in the infant room literally have thousands of miles on them. I have tried to find replacement bearings or parts without success. If someone was looking to fill a need, some new chairs would be much appreciated!”

To support Hand in Hand with items like new rocking chairs, donate here. If you donate now through June 13th, we can put your donation through Birdies for Charity to maximize its impact. We will receive at least a 5% match.