Come to Family House on any Tuesday afternoon and you’ll hear the sounds of constant loud laughter coming from the solarium.  This is because Maggie, Janice, Wendy, Beth, Mary Ed, Karin, Suzi, Marian, Susan and Peyton (age 4 and granddaughter of Janice) are settling the affairs of the world while they sort and fold large barrels of laundry for the House.  Any one of them will tell you that they like to eat.  They like to discuss food.  They feel strongly that they’re better than a book club.  After one shared a way to diagnose Alzheimer’s disease by sniffing peanut butter, another chimed in that it was the “damndest thing” she ever heard and that it “bordered on voodoo,”  yet “please bring this up next week” so it can be discussed further.  

The group stays away from talking about politics and that college just north of UNC Chapel Hill.  One said that she always feels better educated when the laundry is done. Many of these ladies have been folding laundry since we opened our doors over six years ago.  By the sounds of their laughter, you can tell that these joyful ladies are having great fun with each other. 

Suzi has been a longtime Family House volunteer and soon she’ll be moving back to the Midwest.  She summed up her volunteer time in this way:  “I’m going to try and recreate my Chapel Hill life in Iowa, but I’ll never be able to recreate my Tuesday group of lady friends.”  

Family house is always looking for more volunteers! Read more information about volunteering.