Volunteering Brings a Family Closer

Scot Guldin and his family live by the motto “Pay it Forward.” They travel across the country and internationally, volunteering and helping those in need.

Scot has traveled to places such as El Salvador, Haiti and Mississippi on mission trips. His wife and three daughters join him whenever possible, along with members of his congregation at Saint Paul’s Lutheran Church in Mertztown.

“I’m always looking to do something, and after Hurricane Sandy I really wanted to help locally,” he said.

Scot, along with his family and two church members, joined more than 50 volunteers who cleaned up several properties in Montgomery and Bucks County that were affected by Hurricane Sandy.

“It was convenient, close to home, and wasn’t a big time commitment,” Scot said. “We had a great day, and I feel like we really accomplished a lot. I enjoyed meeting the other volunteers and making new friends for the day.”

Scot’s group of volunteers worked on three different properties. One was the home of a recently widowed woman who had two trees fall on her house. “She had no means to get them down,” he said. “We did something for her that she would not have been able to do herself.”

“I feel that I get more out of volunteering than the people that I’m helping do,” Scot said. “When you go somewhere like El Salvador or Haiti, or even some places in the U.S., you realize how blessed we are. It makes me realize how much we take for granted, and reminds me not to complain about what I have.”

Volunteering together has been an incredible bonding experience for Scot’s family. “We often take time out after volunteering to do some scripture reading and reflect on the day. My daughters are very good, sharing people, and I think it’s because of experiences like this.”

“It’s the right thing to do,” Scot says. “It’s my way of giving back. I feel very fortunate in everything that I have, and I don’t want to take that for granted.”