12 Mar The Hill Country Family Services (HCFS) Staff are Experts at Handling a Crisis
The Hill Country Family Services (HCFS) staff are experts at handling a crisis. But, dealing with stress and crisis sometimes comes with a bit of aftershock and emotion for our staff. Last week, we assisted a young woman who found herself abandoned and alone in Kendall County. Her situation was our definition of a crisis. Working collaboratively with the Boerne Police Department, we assisted the young woman with her request to “go home”. Home was a 16 hour bus ride away. She arrived at our office thanks to our friends at the Boerne Police Department, check. We sat her down in our lobby so we could arrange bus fare with Greyhound, check check. But, then our front desk specialist noticed that while we were all busy solving the immediate transportation needs, the young woman had her head in her hands and was crying in the lobby. We brought her to the back, gave her a warm cup of soup and immediately found a warm jacket at Random Hangers in her size. A bag with a stuffed animal, a small blanket, two sandwiches, healthy snacks and water were placed in a new travel bag for her journey. Coordinating transportation was only the tip of the iceberg for this young woman. She needed compassion, empathy and kindness. She was scared and alone 16 hours from home. When the Boerne Police officer came back to provide a ride to the bus station, the young woman had been fed literally and figuratively. The community came together to provide the support that she desperately needed. Don’t we all need an organization like HCFS in a crisis? Because everyone at one time in their lives feels alone. We all need our cup of soup, stuffed animal to hold and kind people to help us find our way. When she left to go to the bus stop, we hugged the young woman and waved goodbye. Looking around the room, it was apparent in our misty eyes that we had all been touched by the spirit of service. It was a stressful experience… beautifully well done, team.