April 6, 2018 at 1:53 p.m.

This Elvus is in the building


A transplant to the Albany Diocese from southern Arkansas, Elvus Cupp has been a biweekly volunteer for three years at Farano Center, a Catholic Charities house in Albany serving infants and children with AIDS.

Mr. Cupp and his wife are parishioners of Corpus Christi Church in Ushers, and the parents of four and grandparents of three.

Photographer Dave Oxford and assistant editor Kate Blain teamed up to provide this portrait of a volunteer.

On his involvement with Farano Center:"I was working with the RCIA group for a while at our church, and after a while you want something different. My wife said, `You know how you love the grandkids; maybe there's something you can do [like] that.' I went over for Farano's information night, and I knew that it was something I wanted to do. I never thought about a cut-off date."

On volunteer work: "Something people don't know about volunteering is that you don't have to be super-smart. There's a lot of things you can do easy."

On his duties at Farano: "I love talking with the kids, playing with the kids. When the weather's good, we go outside. I talk with them and play with them while [the staff] is getting supper ready. One of the things I love to do is read Dr. Seuss!

"I sing to the kids sometimes. I've created about 17 extra verses to `The Wheels on the Bus': `The people in the church go pray, pray, pray....' Sometimes, the kids will recognize I have very poor singing ability. Kids are so honest!"

On the children he meets: "We've had them a couple of weeks old to seven or eight [years]. The younger ones are typically easier to get to know right away. With the older kids, you have to earn their trust. Being named Elvus is great, because everyone knows who the other Elvis is!

"We're not told much about them. I can tell sometimes the kids that have had a rough time. I wonder if they've been abused by a male. Sometimes, they won't come to me. We were briefed on, if we ever change a diaper, the precautions to take; and in my naivete, I believed it was to protect us.

"Some of the kids are really in bad shape. One little girl couldn't talk, couldn't feed herself -- but when I walked into the room, she'd move her head over to me. And you know you're making some kind of contact.

"One kid came to the house not long after she was born, and there was some worry that she might not be able to hear and see. She wasn't there too long before it was discovered that she was able to hear and see. That made a big impression [on me]."

After they leave...: "You wonder; you miss them. There are kids you get kind of close with. They warn you not to, so you try not to, but you can't help it. You're hoping they're in a good home. There have been a couple of times when the kids may not have survived, and we're not told that."

On volunteering and faith: "There's no doubt it strengthens my faith. I believe I was sort of shoved in that direction. Someone has pointed the staff there to do this. I don't think the staff does it just for the money. I can't imagine not having things like this available.

"It's a strange situation where you're giving and you're also receiving. I guarantee the kids don't get more rewarded than I do. Someone loves them; someone gives them attention. I feel I'm making a difference. The kids are just a tiny bit better for it. They need us, and they need me."

On the need for more volunteers: "I don't know why more males don't do this. I think all of us need to recognize that `Church' is more than going to Mass on Sunday. Church is doing something to make the community better. People should just think about the contribution they can make."

(To contact Farano Center, call 482-8836.)

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