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Jenny Adams ’03, Q Club member

Community building inspires Q Club volunteer

By Kara Fleharty

Giving can mean different things. Jenny Adams ’03 believes giving is helping others by “providing all you can for the people around you.”

“I learned about giving from my parents,” said Adams. “They serve in leadership positions in their church, and operate a Chehalis area clothing bank.”

It’s not just giving within the community that makes Adam’s fam-ily unique. In a family of eight children, Adams is one of six adopted with disabilities—she was born with a rare disease that caused her arms and legs not to develop. Adam’s older and younger brothers have Down Syndrome, and three other siblings have spastic dysplasia, a condition that affects muscle control. “In our fam-ily, there is no separation between disabled and non-disabled,” said Adams. “We are a family and are all the same.”

Adams, who uses an electric wheelchair, believes her disability has helped mold her into the giving young woman she is today.

“I’ve been taught patience , “Adams said. “Through my parents, I’ve learned life isn’t about me. It’s about helping others.” As a student attending PLU on financial aid, Adams continues to help others by maintaining a membership in the Q Club.

“People sometimes focus so much on people’s needs away from their community that they forget about the community around them,” Adams said. “Helping the people around you and seeing them being cared for—that’s the direct reward.”

Adams, a psychology major, sings in the Chapel Choir, is active in the campus Christian community, and works as a telefund-raiser for the Annual Fund.

“When I’m calling people, I have a connection,” she said. “I’m a stu-dent, and I give. I’d like others to give, too. It’s such a worthy cause.”

What’s her advice for giving? Give, no matter what the size of the donation is. “Even a small gift can make a big difference. When we all contribute, it adds up.”