Sheril Porter started volunteering at Single Mothers Outreach a little over a year ago.  She learned about the organization from a friend and immediately wanted to help out for this great cause so she contacted the office, provided a resume and asked to be put to work.

Sheril Porter
Sheril had struggled herself for 18 years as a single parent.  She knew that moms in the midst of turbulent times could use as much positive reassurance as possible.  As a business owner with previous corporate world experience, she was interested in finding a community service niche.
DaAnne, our Executive Director, asked her to serve on the Empowering HeArts Committee given her strong organizational skills and event planning background. Sheril went to work helping to organize last year’s Empowering HeArts event.  She was also asked to help with the receipt and distribution of Adopt-a-Family holiday gifts so she recruited and scheduled volunteers from her own contacts to decorate the storage unit where the gifts were to be received from the donors and presented to families.  Since February, Sheril has been volunteering on the SMO Events Committee.  She helped organize our Make a Mother’s Day event and is the Chairperson for this year’s Empowering HeArts event, to be held in November.
Sheril has also helped out by working one-on-one with our members. She began meeting with moms who were trying to enter the workforce to help them with their resumes, cover letters and interviewing skills.  She enjoyed accompanying a job candidate to the Closet on Main to choose some professional clothes for an interview.  Recently, she donated gift certificates for home organizing to the moms who attended our Make a Mother’s Day event, and she is ready to begin visiting our moms in their homes to help them get organized.
She has learned so much along her journey as a single mom, and it has helped shape her into the giving person she is today.  She says “I obtained serenity when I realized that acceptance is the answer to all of my problems.”

She has learned so much along her journey as a single mom, and it has helped shape her into the giving person she is today

She adds “Acceptance does not mean approval.”  So, although life has dealt some difficult times and self-esteem can suffer a low point, it’s important to keep doing the best you can so that the family emerges stronger for it. Her approach to life is an open heart and open mind to recognize the blessings which over-shadow any old beliefs about what our life should have been.
Sheril is very professional and has a great attitude. We know we can rely on her to get the job done, no matter what the job is!