Delis is a dedicated volunteer, having become involved in each of the communities that he has lived in the past. In some of these projects he has been able to help younger people stay on the straight and narrow.  He thinks that ‘there is always someone who needs your help…no matter where you are in your own life’.

When Delis arrived at Anchor House, he wanted to continue to making a positive contribution.    He began by volunteering within Anchor House which rekindled his appetite for involvement. But in his words, he “wanted to do something for people in far more need than himself”. 

So, he approached the local Volunteering Bureau and became involved in some introductory projects and then recently he spent a week decorating a refuge for families escaping violence in the home and he explained “It made a real difference to the youngsters and it made me want to get up every day and get stuck in.  They’ve been through so much and have seen things no child should see.  So making their place a little nicer was a real thrill.”  Delis takes a great amount of pride in his work, returning to a project for an extra day just to ensure the decorating work he’d done was finished to a high enough standard.

Delis was really pleased to have been able to make such difference and was overwhelmed when he was invited back for a special meal as their way of saying thank-you.

He has found that his volunteering work has inspired him to persue a career in youth work and is planning to gain the necessary qualifications. He also wants to pass on the volunteering message to others, hoping that his story will inspire others to join in.

Tags: Anchor House, Canning Town, east london, employment, homeless, Homelessness, Volunteering