Scroll through Extreme Response’s social media posts you’ll see photos of our field staff and the vulnerable people we serve. These images often are impactful and inspiring.

What you don’t see are the other invaluable ER team members who help make what we do possible.

Take Sara Walkowski, ER’s Donor Accounting Specialist. Sara and her husband Walt joined ER’s staff in 2018. Sara processes the donor gifts ER receives and documents them. This involves everything from old-school checks to online donations to wired funds and more.

Those email receipts you receive – yep –  Sara does those. She also works with our staff members around the world to make sure their personal accounts are maintained. And – this is a hero-level task – she works with 40+ individual states every year to make sure ER pays their registration fees and complies with their requirements.

At times, Sara’s journey has been bumpy. She and Walt transitioned from pastoral ministry in Michigan and relocated near our offices in Snellville, GA. They moved twice, worked extra jobs and support ER’s work in many ways.

Many of the “bumps” have centered around their son, Nate, who is 22 and on the autism spectrum. The last few years have brought health challenges for Nate. He has epilepsy, neutropenia (making him more susceptible to infection), and a stomach ailment doctors have yet to fully diagnose.

To overcome these stress points, Sara relies on her faith in Christ to guide her through each day. If she notices a donor having a bad day, she stops and prays for them. On several occasions, she has been able to be a listening ear and an encouragement to donors.

“ER has very sweet and faithful donors! I enjoy helping them in any way I can,” Sara said. “I genuinely care about the work I do, which means I care about ER’s donors.”

Yes, Sara makes sure donations are correctly processed and allocated so we can do the work God called us to do. But it’s much more than that. It’s valuing and serving the people who, through their faithful giving, enable us to carry out this work.