The good Cornellians can do: Ruth Chatterton Robinson ’79

When she retired from a career working to integrate acquisitions for a major technology company, Ruth Chatterton Robinson '79 felt drawn to work with her hands.

Fellow members of her church told Ruth about Household Goods, a furniture bank located near her hometown of Bedford, Massachusetts. Ruth visited their facility, and both the atmosphere and the mission resonated with her.

She and her husband have always enjoyed fixing things. As volunteers at Household Goods, they enjoy working together to refurbish donated furniture and household goods to give to neighbors in need. Clients include people coming out of shelters, newly arrived immigrants, and those who have lost furniture in a fire.

Part of Ruth’s role is helping patrons explore the inventory and pick out what they need. She says this work is empowering for clients: as they furnish their new homes, they get excited about making a fresh start.

“One of the clients I helped early on was the mother of two boys who was coming to us from a women's shelter where she had escaped an abusive husband. She started out our walk rather hesitantly and had a hard time making decisions, but her confidence grew in the half hour I was with her,” Ruth recalls. “As she collected items for her new home, she could envision a different life than she had lived previously.”

Cornellians around the globe are sharing how they do good in communities big and small. Share your own story.