July 20, 2020

Josef volunteering at our Together with Love Run. Photo credit: Kim Birdsong

"I consider it an honor and a privilege to be part of a very special agency where I have met great people for the past 24 glorious years of service."

We are pleased to introduce you to Josef London, who has been a volunteer Advocate with MCRCC since 1996. We are privileged to have kept him on our team for all these years!

Josef works at the Esalen Institute as the Safety Manager. He was born and raised in Brazil.

 

MCRCC: Could you talk about any of your life experiences that have inspired you?

Josef: I have been inspired, encouraged, and motivated by my own transformational experience for which I am grateful.

I am fortunate to have lived and worked at the Esalen Institute since 1991, coming straight from Rio de Janeiro on my quest for healing and transformation and never left.

Being in a healthy, safe, and supportive environment for personal growth for the past 29 years has given me a rich transformative experience either through the awareness of my own experience or via those shared by like-minded people on a similar journey, making the end result much bigger than the individual contributions.

MCRCC: What was the moment that led you to become an Advocate for survivors? 

Josef: I always wanted to share my learning and growth journey at Esalen and felt motivated by an MCRCC ad with the invitation to “Make a difference, be a volunteer at our agency” and signed up for the advocate training in September of 1996.

I consider it an honor and a privilege to be part of a very special agency where I have met great people for the past 24 glorious years of service.

MCRCC: What are the challenges and rewards?

Josef: One of the main challenges in the Helpline has been to be able to maintain and sustain contact with callers and find the best way to activate a course of action to support them.

It is always a reward to hear a survivor sharing how helpful, healing and encouraging it was to have someone to talk to and trained to provide guidance and support.

It is rewarding and refreshing to see the improvement of services provided by participating help agencies such as law enforcement, nurses, ER crew, etc. on an ongoing educating process provided by MCRCC and having Clare Mounteer in her habitual dedicated, caring, persistent, and knowledgeable role as our leader. Fearless leader I say…  

Another rewarding experience is to help with fundraising events.

MCRCC: What are some other things you love to do?

Josef: I like running, golfing and swimming. They keep me sane. I enjoy quiet time, silence being my favorite sound. I cherish quality time spent with friends and special company around good food and wine.

I live by example and am task-oriented and have high standards for what I choose to do and want all of it to be done with integrity, dedication, passion, love, joy and fun to the best of my ability. Good humor is a must.

These challenging times with shelter-in-place and all that I have been presented with became a rich opportunity to review and remove current principles and values that are no longer helpful or applicable and redesign and refine ways to navigate through what is going to be a new normal, yet to be defined.