Becky Roffe has been giving back to her community for a long time.
“When my sisters and I were in primary grades, we started volunteering our four-part harmony singing for various organizations, including nursing homes and senior citizens meetings,” says Roffe, who’s worked as a teacher aide at Caledonia-Mumford Elementary School for 19 years. “Volunteering has been part of my life since then.”
Roffe has volunteered for the Girl Scouts, as a Sunday school teacher, as a home hospice aide, and at Genesee Valley Rotary Camp — a weeklong camp for people with disabilities.
Roffe has worked with children who have special needs for 23 years. She enjoys helping them meet their goals, and sometimes that means meeting their emotional needs before anything else.
“My heart goes out to those children who have struggles, whether physically, cognitively or emotionally,” she says. “I enjoy watching them grow to their potential, not only academically, but in confidence, as well — to see their smiles when they have achieved an area they have worked hard on, big or small.”
Roffe not only donates her time to the children with whom she works in New York State. She also volunteers more than 7,000 miles away in Africa.
About 35 years ago, Roffe got involved with missions work, financially supporting children from developing nations.
“Our pastor from our church had taken a mission trip to an orphanage in Africa and shared a video with us on his work there and the children,” she says. “That touched my heart in such a profound way that I knew I would be involved with orphans from Africa some day.”
Her intuition was right. Every two years, she travels to Kitale, Kenya, to help build housing and other facilities for orphans with Rehema Ministries’ In Step Children’s Home, which houses 171 orphans and 40 workers on 20 acres. This summer, she took a two-week trip to Kitale and says her life “will never be the same.”
The trip entailed four airplanes with a total of 22 hours of flying time, she says. It comprised nine members with various projects planned, the largest being the construction of a 33-by-74-foot barn and milking parlor.
Roffe was part of the construction team involved in cutting, welding, drilling and bolting the tube steel together to create the frame for the barn.
“We worked alongside Kenyan workers, pouring concrete around the columns, all the while spending time with the children during the day and evening,” she says.
All the projects the group worked on were a huge success, Roffe says.
“We thank God for all that was accomplished,” she says. “God has given me a yearning to help. When the opportunity came up, I knew it was meant to be.”
Donations and fundraising helped offset the costs of her airfare, medical appointments, shots, medications and tools.
“Each trip, I have raised above and beyond my expectations, including donations of 500 tubes of toothpaste and toothbrushes, clothes for boys and girls, homemade quilts, shoes, bubbles, infant toys, crayons and coloring books and reading books,” Roffe says.
Between all the volunteerism, one of her most important roles is a grandmother, and she makes sure to spend plenty of time with her grandchildren. A year ago, her grandson was born prematurely and with significant health concerns. She was there for him — and still remained dedicated to her mission work.
“(Becky) cared for him at the hospital every day. It is extremely selfless of her to travel so far to help others,” says Sarah Santora, community education coordinator at Caledonia-Mumford.
“In the midst of her own family struggle, she was able to look beyond and give of herself,” Santora says. “She is a great example of the spiritual and emotional wellness we all seek.”
For Roffe, giving back to others and knowing she has purpose is vital to her spiritual and emotional wellness. Roffe knows that by taking care of her spiritual and emotional health, she’s also taking care of her physical wellness.
“Poor emotional health can weaken the body’s immune system, making it more vulnerable to colds and infections,” she says. “A basic foundation for spiritual wellness is the sense that life is meaningful, that you have found your place in it. For me, spiritual wellness is having that personal relationship with Jesus Christ. When you put him first in your life, he will give you peace, comfort and direction in every area of your life.”
Roffe also surrounds herself with people she can count on. She has a great support system that allows her to help others. And she, in turn, has inspired others to give of themselves.
“I’ve been blessed to be part of a wonderful family, a wonderful staff at Caledonia-Mumford and many wonderful friends,” she says.
“There have been many interested in joining me some day to touch the lives of these beautiful, innocent children.”
