John and Martha Gorman are not average retirees.
The Norfolk couple, both 71, prefer traveling cross-country to rip out rotten drywall following a hurricane or restocking supplies at a migrant safe house in Texas.
“But we are nothing special. We are just able-bodied people, who have the time and the health,” Martha said.
John and Martha’s volunteering started in earnest when the Gorman family, including their two children, was stationed in Ecuador from May 1996 to July 1999.
John, a now-retired Navy captain, served as a Naval attaché in the South American country, coordinating Navy-affiliated humanitarian efforts as part of Project Handclasp. The Department of Defense program has service members distribute basic necessities and educational and medical materials to communities in need when moored in foreign ports.
“We tried to turn sow’s ears into silk purses with what was available — and just the appreciation that the local residents had there in Ecuador…,” John said as he shook his head.
Martha was involved in the local villages through the Diplomatic Corps and contacts made through John. Martha volunteered her time in schools, orphanages, hospitals and group homes for disabled adults.
“We rolled into a little village south of Quito. People were running alongside the car because they recognized the vehicle. They knew that when I stopped and the doors opened the big navy blue Bronco was full of stuff for them,” Martha said.
The Gormans’ experiences in Ecuador ignited a passion in them, lighting a flame they fed as often as they could over the years.
John retired from the Navy in 2003 after a 30-year career, only to start a new one as a middle school science teacher at Norfolk Christian Academy. Martha began serving as the director of a small faith-based nonprofit in Ghent for more than a decade, before retiring in 2014.
John retired in 2016, allowing the pair to dive headfirst into volunteer work.
In teaming up with Operation Blessing, headquartered in Virginia Beach, the couple have traveled to Florida, Louisiana and Texas for hurricane or natural disaster relief efforts. They pack up their RV camper each year on the heels of hurricane season to “go where the need is,” often spending several weeks clearing debris and gutting flooded homes.
“There is no difference between them and us, except they have just experienced a disaster. We are all subject to being homeless, in a dire financial strait, because of a natural disaster, and it is only by the grace of God that we weren’t,” Martha said.
But they don’t have to look far to see need in the Hampton Roads community. The pair volunteer locally, participating in clean-ups following severe flooding and organizing cold shelters for the homeless population.
The Gormans’ ongoing volunteerism is not limited to natural disasters. They have also traveled to border towns in Texas to help migrants seeking asylum get established in the U.S.
John credits his military career with preparing him for the challenges he and Martha face as humanitarian volunteers.
“I appreciate my military career. I have done so many different kinds of things — been to over 40 different countries from very rich to extreme poverty. It gave me a wider perspective on the world, general needs, the processes of other countries and how to find and coordinate resources,” John said.
Martha’s experience as a budget counselor with the Navy and Marine Corps Relief Society also prepared her for volunteerism, as she uses the skills she learned as a budget counselor to help families, both local and foreign, recover from financial crises.
“The military gave me that opportunity, and it was same thing I wound up doing at a volunteer position at a nonprofit at a church in Washington, D.C., which led to my coming on as the executive director of a nonprofit here in Norfolk,” Martha said.
John and Martha use their experiences to guide two families they were connected with through the Tabernacle Church of Norfolk. One family fled from Afghanistan in 2021 when the U.S. withdrew. The second is a Honduran family who escaped violence, famine and inadequate health care.
Martha said they act as “navigators,” guiding the families, both of which settled in Hampton Roads, with finding affordable housing and employment, getting them set up with health insurance and adjusting to U.S. requirements and processes.
“It is a lot of staff work, you know on the computer or the phone searching for the resources they need,” John said.
Gaining the trust of the families, Martha said, can be a daily commitment and helping them navigate the demanding U.S. processes is often challenging.
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“But God placed us in a position to field that phone call or that request,” Martha began.
“And we have the education, the experience, the particular giftings to help,” John said. “That is not to say we don’t have to take time during the day to ask for the Lord’s help, to ask for patience or forgiveness for losing my temper.”
One such instance was when they guided an Afghan man through the process of seeking asylum in the U.S. only for the man to enter the country illegally. He was subsequently detained and is at risk of being deported. Meanwhile, John and Martha are trying to connect him with the right resources.
But the work, no matter how demanding, John said, is worth the effort.
“At the end of the day, did we change the world? No. But did the world change us? Yes,” John said.
Those interested in volunteering with Operation Blessing, whether it be for a day or for a lifetime, can sign up to be notified of volunteer opportunities at ob.org.
Caitlyn Burchett, [email protected]
