Nu2U is about more than what was reported to the town council on Dec 5.
Nu2U is more than numbers. It is a family. We may know little about each other outside of Nu2U, but we laugh together, commiserate with each other, comfort each other, get frustrated with each other, ask for advice and opinions and rib each other. Sometimes our customers get a little too.
Often, customers haven't seen each other in ages and just have to catch up at our till - which became a problem when we had to limit numbers due to COVID rules.
We stayed open despite restrictions and people patiently waited in line in the cold. Nu2U is a community within a community. Every day, when we unlock the door, someone is waiting with a smile.
Our place does more than provide grant money. Our customers are seniors, mothers, college students, disadvantaged, disabled or decorators, antiquers and collectors. They all get a smile and all the help we can give.
We have given household items to the needy or our new refugees, and children presents to gift to their parents. Last Christmas we shopped for stocking stuffers with the Christmas Angels. All this was free of charge. No for-profit thrift store would do these things, and we take great satisfaction out of finding new ways we can help.
Ours is the cleanest and best organized thrift store in town. Every time a customer praises our store, it drives us to greater efforts.
We have more items for sale than other thrift stores because people give us their or their parents precious items because they know that we will make sure it finds someone who needs them or will love them while benefiting the community.
Nu2U benefits us as volunteers in innumerable ways. We all have our own reasons for getting involved and most have served for years. We are the disabled, the retired, the willing.
We have gone through physical and mental health issues. Not everyone shares their reasons, but, whatever they are, we have made a place of purpose where our talents are needed and appreciated. We never fail to give each other encouragement and praise.
For myself, I have been at Nu2U for several years. After a series of health issues led me into deep anxiety and depression, I knew I needed to do something and found this place that was safe and was never made to feel less for my inconsistencies.
I went from one day a week and sometimes missing a week, to two and now sometimes four days out of the week. It has been a Godsend for my mental health. Nu2U is where I choose to give my best efforts freely instead of allowing others to cross my boundaries.
My confidence has been bolstered because people ask me what I think or if things are being done right. Not only am I seen and included, but my input and opinions are valued. This is invaluable to me and I am grateful for every one of these people who have made my life richer.
Over the years, I have volunteered to do many things, but those things were usually sporadic or for a limited purpose. Nu2U is a constant.
The idea that I can be handed a list of other volunteer opportunities in the community and be just as well is simply not true. We are unique. We are family.
A thank-you dinner will not assuage our disappointment over being dismissed without any courtesy.
It is my wish and hope that all of us may continue to serve our community with gratitude.
Tanya Nicholas,
Olds
