{"id":1876,"date":"2023-04-17T15:55:51","date_gmt":"2023-04-17T15:55:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bowery.org\/updates\/?p=1876"},"modified":"2023-04-28T18:18:34","modified_gmt":"2023-04-28T18:18:34","slug":"bobs-volunteer-story","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bowery.org\/updates\/2023\/04\/bobs-volunteer-story\/","title":{"rendered":"Bob\u2019s volunteer story: Music that heals"},"content":{"rendered":"
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At The Bowery Mission, we often say that volunteers are \u201cthe heart of the Mission.\u201d Beyond helping us serve up hot meals, sort through donations and keep our campuses tidy, our volunteers make The Bowery Mission a place where people experiencing hunger and homelessness feel at home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

No one does this better than Bob Milnes, who volunteers each week to play and sing live music for meal guests at our historic flagship campus. Every Tuesday during lunch, you can find Bob playing his heart out \u2014 whether it’s jazz standards, pop hits or his own original songs \u2014 from the baby grand piano on the chapel stage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bob is semi-retired and spends most of his days playing gigs at senior centers, open mics and restaurants. A little over a year ago, he had popped in to drop off some winter coats for neighbors in need when he was struck by the Mission\u2019s strong sense of community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAs soon as I came in here, I dug the vibe,\u201d he says. \u201cI thought, \u2018something is going on here!\u2019\u201d Naturally, he asked if we had a piano. He\u2019s been playing weekly ever since.<\/p>\n\n\n

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(Above) One of three chapel services are held daily at The Bowery Mission\u2019s historic flagship campus. Attendance is not required to receive a meal.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Music that connects<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Homelessness often comes with feelings of being overwhelmed, stressed out, demoralized and depressed. When you have very few places to meet your most basic needs, it\u2019s rare to be invited into spaces of beauty, comfort and community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When Bob plays the piano in our chapel, the spirit of the room changes. People begin to look up from their phones. Expressions of stress and worry relax into focused listening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt brings culture, it brings a sense of normalcy,\u201d says Julie Ramaine, Clinical Ambassador at The Bowery Mission. \u201cHis playing gives people a chance to step out of their own reality, even if it\u2019s just for a minute.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Every now and then, a community member will make a request or come up on stage and sing along. Once, Bob was playing a request for \u201cOver the Rainbow\u201d when he looked up and saw the man in tears. \u201cThose kinds of moments are why I do it. I love the connection,\u201d Bob says. \u201cMusic has gotta be a conversation. It\u2019s gotta be an exchange.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Music that heals<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Bob describes his love for music as an \u201cobsession.\u201d When he\u2019s not performing, you can find him taking apart pianos or working out new tunes at his piano at home. \u201cI drive my wife crazy sometimes,\u201d he says, chuckling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a kid, Bob would sit for hours noodling on the piano. After his father died while he was still young, music became both a place of solace and a saving grace \u2014 an outlet to keep him out of trouble. \u201cMusic is my anchor,\u201d he says. \u201cIn case of an emergency, get me to a piano because I have to express.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Bob,<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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\u201cPeople need music. It’s the healing voice. When I play, I’m changing the environment here.\u201d \u2014 Bob Milnes, volunteer musician at The Bowery Mission<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

At the Mission, Bob channels his innate drive for making music into connecting with others, most of whom have experienced great loss or trauma in their own lives \u2014 whether in their past or tied to a more recent crisis of hunger or homelessness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBob is willing to come into a place and allow his entire self to come alive,\u201d says Jason Storbakken, chaplain at The Bowery Mission. \u201cThere\u2019s no replacement for someone who can come in and play and sing from their heart like that. It just lifts people.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When asked about the most important quality of a volunteer, Bob is adamant: \u201cEmpathy! You\u2019ve got to feel for others. It\u2019s about learning and openness.\u201d He continues: \u201cJust being here is therapeutic. I\u2019m 78 years old and this is what keeps me alive.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We are so grateful for Bob and his unique ability to bring healing and comfort to our community through music. Through the faithful support of friends of the Mission like Bob, we can provide an even more welcoming, hospitable place to overcome homelessness, hunger and other crises.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our volunteers make The Bowery Mission a place where people experiencing hunger and homelessness feel at home. \u2764\ufe0f No one does this better than Bob Milnes, who serves each week by playing live music for meal guests at our historic flagship campus! \ud83c\udfb9\ud83c\udfb6#NationalVolunteerMonth<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/XEWEVnJvwX<\/a><\/p>— The Bowery Mission (@BoweryMission) April 20, 2023<\/a><\/blockquote>