Anavanessa Robles

“New York can be a rough place,” says Anavanessa Robles. “But a little kindness goes a long way. I know that there are good people everywhere. I meet them at The Salvation Army every day.”

Two years ago, as families were preparing to celebrate Thanksgiving, Anavanessa Robles saw a local TV commercial advertising volunteer opportunities at The Salvation Army for the busy holiday season. As she watched and listened, she thought about a familiar sight around the train station on East 125th Street in Harlem.

“I’ve lived in New York my whole life, but until I moved to Harlem, I had never seen people experiencing homelessness living in groups or camps,” says Anavanessa. “In Brooklyn, where I grew up, the homeless population was much more spread out. Watching that commercial, my mind went right back to the people at my stop in Harlem, huddled together.”

Anavanessa applied to become a Salva­tion Army volunteer through the web. The next day, she was called to visit the Harlem Temple Corps. Her first assignment was assisting at the corps’ soup kitchen. There, Anavanessa realized that some of the individuals she was serving were also the people she had seen at her stop.

“It was humbling to serve them, and it made me feel so good. I immediately gravi­tated to the people I was helping, and I think they did to me too,” says Anavanessa. “When you give off positive vibes while volunteering, others can sense those vibes.”

She was surprised to see a chapel inside the corps building.

“It was beautiful to see that in a place where so much work in the community is being done,” she says.

Despite being a full-time single mother to a child with special needs, Anavanessa started coming to the Harlem Temple Corps every day, helping in any way she could while her son, Nico, was in school.

“Keeping a steady job has always been hard when you need to attend school appointments and other responsibilities for your child. And I really have no village to help me raise my son. It’s just me and him,” says Anavanessa.

“That’s another reason why I enjoy volun­teering. I want to give something to the world and put some good out there. Hopefully, the world will give that good back—not to me, but to Nico. As he grows up, he’s going to need the good of others too.”

That type of good is being done at the Harlem Temple Corps every day, with clients, employees, and volunteers coming in and out from morning to evening.

Captains Jeanne-Elie and Neekenson Fils-Aime, the corps officers and pastors of Harlem Temple, gave Anavanessa her own office space to work in, doing case intakes for individuals and families.

“The captains are like family to me. They believe in me and help me to do better and better. Last year, I signed up over 250 people from the community for rent assistance,” says Anavanessa. “I’m very proud of that.”

At every corps event or fair, Anavanessa has her own table with information to raise awareness about autism and resources for parents of children with disabilities.

“I meet so many parents in similar situations to mine,” says Anavanessa. “I hope to one day have my own support group for parents of special needs children, so they know that they’re not alone.”

Anavanessa can empathize with them. The demands of raising children, especially as a single mother, can leave parents feeling isolated or disconnected from their community. But the same love and dedication that Anavanessa shows as a mother has become a part of her volunteer work and, in turn, her own ministry at the Harlem Temple Corps.

“I love being Nico’s mom, but at the same time, I don’t want to feel like I’ve lost a piece of myself and my own identity,” says Anavanessa. “Volunteering is something that I have for me. I found myself by giving my time to The Salvation Army.”