Volunteer spotlight: Matthew Ding
Photo: From left to right: Bradley, Seth Kim, Matthew Ding, Yifeng Hu, and James Hu.
Matthew started volunteering at Golda Meir House, where his grandfather lives, when he was in the fifth grade. Over the past six years, he has served in many different roles, from helping at the front desk, teaching language classes, and providing tech support to residents.
One moment that especially stands out is stepping up to help a resident troubleshoot her DVD player when the staff who help residents with tech support were unavailable. He went up to her apartment, figured out the issue, and was able to fix it for her. They picked out a DVD to watch, and it worked — forming a real connection in the process.
Matthew is a talented pianist who has been playing since he was six years old. Whenever he visited his grandparents at Golda Meir House, he would go to the piano in the lobby and play a few pieces. He noticed that the residents enjoyed listening to him play and worked with the staff to organize his first concert. Residents loved it, and the concerts became a regular part of his volunteering.
“I always enjoyed connecting with others through music, and I wanted a way to give back to the community,” says Matthew. “It taught me early on that small efforts can have a big emotional impact.”
Over the years, Matthew expanded his musical repertoire. At first, he mostly played classical pieces, but now he adds in some popular music and a few traditional Chinese pieces, too. He noticed that residents of Chinese heritage love hearing the traditional songs, and that everyone appreciates the variety of styles he plays. When he plays songs by the Beatles, the audience sings along.
Matthew also expanded his reach. As the concerts grew in popularity, he became not only a pianist but also a concert organizer. This July, he proposed organizing a concert at Brighton Campus, 2Life’s largest campus, where he could host the event in an auditorium that seats 255 people. He gathered a few of his friends for a concert. Matthew performed on piano, and two cellists and a violinist each shared their pieces. Finally, all four took the stage to present Pachelbel's Canon together. The concert was a huge success, with warm applause all around.
Now that he is entering his junior year in high school and looking ahead to college, Matthew will also keep volunteering at 2Life, which he says has played an important role in helping him develop skills in service and leadership as well as build meaningful connections with the residents.
“Walking through the halls with my grandpa, people recognize me, and say ‘Oh, you’re the person who plays piano,’” says Matthew. “2Life is a very welcoming and close-knit community.”
Matthew is one of 2Life’s longest-serving volunteers and a true part of the community at Golda Meir House and beyond.
