Jessie Ong: Making Cambridge Feel like Home

When Jessie Ong moved to Cambridge from Malaysia, she was looking for a way to get to know her new community – and fortuitously discovered Cambridge Volunteers. One opportunity led to another, and soon she was making connections with organizations and communities she might otherwise never have discovered.

It went so well that in the four years since then, she’s become a valued “super volunteer.”

Through Somerville-Cambridge Elder Services, she serves lunch and lends a hand in the kitchen every week at the Cambridge Senior Center. She volunteers as a classroom assistant supporting adult students in ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) through the Cambridge Community Learning Center and Jewish Vocational Services. During the summer, she gets outside and helps CitySprouts with their community gardens. Last but not least, for three and a half years, she has been the social media manager for Cambridge Volunteers.

For Jesse, the most meaningful part of volunteering has been the people she meets and the relationships she’s built. The ESOL classes include immigrants from all over the world — communities she feels naturally connected to as an international resident herself. Thanks to her regular visits to the Cambridge Senior Center, she knows seniors who now feel like extended family. “They’re always encouraging me,” she says. “It’s like having many grandparents around here for me.”

She’s also formed friendships with other volunteers. “Volunteering has made Cambridge feel more like home to me. I’ve made really good friends through volunteering.”

Over time, volunteering has also helped her discover new skills and confidence. Before joining ESOL classrooms, she had little teaching experience. Gardening was completely new to her, too. “I realized while I’m supporting people, they’re also teaching me different things,” she says. “Seeing how determined students are to improve their English is really inspiring. It makes me feel like it’s never too late to learn something new. There are so many things in my life that I've wanted to try, and it’s like, why wait on it?”

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Photos and text: Molly O'Brien

We are indebted to Molly and the team at the Cambridge Senior Center and Somerville Cambridge Elder Services for this Volunteer Spotlight.

We are perpetually grateful to Jessie for her participation in this spotlight, her service to CV and so many organizations across Cambridge, and for making us feel that the sun is shining whenever she is near.

To learn more about each program and how to get involved, click the links below:

• Somerville Cambridge Elder Services

• Cambridge Community Learning Center

• CitySprouts

• Jewish Vocational Services

• ...and us! Learn more about CV here

You can help Cambridge Volunteers connect more volunteers like Jessie with the local nonprofits that need them. Support local volunteerism with a contribution today at www.cambridgevolunteers.org/donate.