Forever a Friend

After a brisk ride this past October, Arne and Ruth Sorenson hopped off their bikes and recorded a short video. They were participating in the annual N Street Village Fall Walk - but rather than walk, in good Sorenson fashion they turned the endeavor into a family athletic affair. In the video, Ruth greeted the Village Community and cheered on participants, and Arne finished her thought by speaking directly to the women we serve: “You are our heroes,” he said. 

You wouldn’t have known from the sun and the spirit of their short video that they were already many months into a mighty struggle with Arne’s own illness. They were caught red-handed once again - caring for and serving others, even in the midst of the most trying personal circumstances.

Over a decade ago, Arne and Ruth became involved with the mission of N Street Village and quickly became active and important champions in our work to ensure safe and dignified housing and support services for women experiencing homelessness. 

At N Street Village we often say that “we are all more alike than we are different.” We believe that whatever our divisions might seem to be, they are minor in comparison to our human commonalities. We believe that we are all equally vulnerable, equally worthy, and equally filled with potential. Arne naturally lived this value and embraced this perspective. He didn’t trade on status or social distinctions, and he took seriously a sense of obligation to those around him. Everyone was important to him and he honored the individual dignity and worth of all whom he met. I would sometimes have breakfast with him at a Marriott hotel, and on those occasions it was prudent to factor in the extra time he would spend greeting all of the staff. Watching him do so was a lesson in leadership and grace - not to mention a joy.

It is a struggle to find enough emphatic and soulful words to honor the memory of Arne Sorenson. His presence was radiant with warmth, his integrity was obvious in every word and action, and his kindness was legendary. He was in perennial bloom with goodwill. His earnest ambition to be of service and his intuitive embrace of human equality - ironically - set him apart. He was one of a kind. He was the type of person about whom my elders would have said, “he broke the mold.” I am grateful to have called this good man my friend. And - I am well aware that he extended friendship in abundance and that he leaves in his wake a global raft of people with the same proud claim: “Arne was my friend.”