Volunteering is one of the greatest things a person can do, it is a way of not only giving back to your community, but to those less fortunate without the expectation of payment. I make a point to volunteer whenever I can.
Harvest Community Church: 2014- Present
Having married one of the many staff pastors for this network of churches, I am finding places to plug in an volunteer. Our home has become a home base for many things including weekly community group meetings, student leadership training, and PRISM (Pittsburgh Region International Student Ministries) host home for Labor Day weekend. With the church, I will am part of the team traveling to Paraguay in 2015. On Mondays, I serve as the CRAVE cafe coordinator, planning, managing, and dishing out a nightly menu. Throughout the year, I go on many of the retreats and special trips for our youth as well. I also accompany him to many pre-marital counseling meetings to encourage more conversation between couples.
Jumonville Premiere Christian Summer Camp: 2007-2014
Every summer, I take a week or two off of work and volunteer to run a camp at Jumonville for kids anywhere from 10-14 years old. While most people see this as a challenging group, I see it as a chance to make a difference in their lives. My staff and I do our best to tackle issues during the week pertaining to diversity, friendship, dating and growing up. The staff's own diversity ensures that each child has at least one adult to connect with throughout the week. Jumonville also gives us a curriculum to follow and we do our best to implement it in a fun and creative way that not only teaches the children, but allows them to be kids. Throughout the year, I maintain contact with campers through a variety of media, including our website: http://www.campatoz.weebly.com .
First United Methodist Church of Vandergrift: 2003 - 2015
In 2003, a new pastor came to the church with every intention of restarting the youth group and giving it new life. I was invited by my best friend to attend and quickly became an active member and the rest is history. Since then I have taken part in starting many of our now thriving outreach programs like Operation Christmas Child, our partnership with Caring Hearts Ministries in Mexico and several long standing fundraisers for Campership. I still lend myself to be a chaperone for group trips to places like the zoo, Jumonville and a city shopping trip in Pittsburgh and help with in church activities like tie dying workshops and fundraisers. In 2013 I became the point person for our campership program and am working with summer camps, campers, and adults to create fundraising and registration opportunities. I no longer attend this church on a regular basis, but to help with events as the need arises.
Pregnancy Resource Center (South Hills, PA) : 2007 - 2012
I have been given the opportunity to do several projects with the pregnancy center since a close friend became the director of the facility. Through my background in education I have been able to introduce things like Animoto and interactive power point slide shows to the center for publicity and upcoming events. I have also further interconnected my social networking in giving the center contacts in graphic design and screen-printing. Finally, in 2011, I was asked to facilitate the "Worth the Wait" program for the center. It was an interesting experience that definitely brought me out of my comfort zone, but that I am very thankful to have done.
Armstrong Community Theater: 2004- Present
The creative outlets provided by the arts are limitless. I found myself as a choreographer and soloist for a variety show intended as a fund raiser for A.C.T in January of 2004 and have been involved ever since. I have done group choreography, musicals, variety shows, and dramas as well as publicity events for the theater. When I cannot have a part in a show, I offer my services as a hostess, set designer or in ticket sales.
Relay for Life: 2003-2009
Relay for Life is something I decided to get involved in in 9th grade after finding out that my friends were on a team. Like many families in the world, mine has had to deal with the devastating loss of a family member to cancer. The team I was involved with in high school was one of the favorites of the hosting staff and when we broke up to go to college we were asked for several years to come back and help. As a team-member and Co-Captain, I was able to help with every aspect of fund raising, banner and t-shirt design, sponsorship, and team monitoring. Often times, the team as a whole was willing to help the hosting staff with set up and tear down each year as well.
Kiski Area Cross Country/Track and Field Distance Team: Team Manager and Statistician
June 2003- June 2007
It was said, many times by my head coach, that he had never made it through a season without a manager, and of those managers, I was the best he had ever seen. Going above and beyond the call of duty, I conducted practices in coach's absence, attended every meet and invitational as well as 2 practices a week, took mile splits and end times at every race, memorized team roster, attended to upkeep on team website and assisted with equipment both home and away. Even after graduation, if I attend a race to visit with old coaches and watch the runners, I am handed placeholders, given a stopwatch, a clipboard and/or told to help assist in the running of the event.
Kiski Valley YMCA: 2000-2001
At my dance school, when you turned 12, you could help teach a younger dance class if you signed up early enough. Eager to start volunteering and teaching, I assisted with a class of beginner ballerinas ages 4 and 5. I was able to help teach basic dance steps and stretches, design dance routines, and enforce classroom management policies. At the end of the year, it was I and not the head teacher that was able to perform with the girls on stage.
Harvest Community Church: 2014- Present
Having married one of the many staff pastors for this network of churches, I am finding places to plug in an volunteer. Our home has become a home base for many things including weekly community group meetings, student leadership training, and PRISM (Pittsburgh Region International Student Ministries) host home for Labor Day weekend. With the church, I will am part of the team traveling to Paraguay in 2015. On Mondays, I serve as the CRAVE cafe coordinator, planning, managing, and dishing out a nightly menu. Throughout the year, I go on many of the retreats and special trips for our youth as well. I also accompany him to many pre-marital counseling meetings to encourage more conversation between couples.
Jumonville Premiere Christian Summer Camp: 2007-2014
Every summer, I take a week or two off of work and volunteer to run a camp at Jumonville for kids anywhere from 10-14 years old. While most people see this as a challenging group, I see it as a chance to make a difference in their lives. My staff and I do our best to tackle issues during the week pertaining to diversity, friendship, dating and growing up. The staff's own diversity ensures that each child has at least one adult to connect with throughout the week. Jumonville also gives us a curriculum to follow and we do our best to implement it in a fun and creative way that not only teaches the children, but allows them to be kids. Throughout the year, I maintain contact with campers through a variety of media, including our website: http://www.campatoz.weebly.com .
First United Methodist Church of Vandergrift: 2003 - 2015
In 2003, a new pastor came to the church with every intention of restarting the youth group and giving it new life. I was invited by my best friend to attend and quickly became an active member and the rest is history. Since then I have taken part in starting many of our now thriving outreach programs like Operation Christmas Child, our partnership with Caring Hearts Ministries in Mexico and several long standing fundraisers for Campership. I still lend myself to be a chaperone for group trips to places like the zoo, Jumonville and a city shopping trip in Pittsburgh and help with in church activities like tie dying workshops and fundraisers. In 2013 I became the point person for our campership program and am working with summer camps, campers, and adults to create fundraising and registration opportunities. I no longer attend this church on a regular basis, but to help with events as the need arises.
Pregnancy Resource Center (South Hills, PA) : 2007 - 2012
I have been given the opportunity to do several projects with the pregnancy center since a close friend became the director of the facility. Through my background in education I have been able to introduce things like Animoto and interactive power point slide shows to the center for publicity and upcoming events. I have also further interconnected my social networking in giving the center contacts in graphic design and screen-printing. Finally, in 2011, I was asked to facilitate the "Worth the Wait" program for the center. It was an interesting experience that definitely brought me out of my comfort zone, but that I am very thankful to have done.
Armstrong Community Theater: 2004- Present
The creative outlets provided by the arts are limitless. I found myself as a choreographer and soloist for a variety show intended as a fund raiser for A.C.T in January of 2004 and have been involved ever since. I have done group choreography, musicals, variety shows, and dramas as well as publicity events for the theater. When I cannot have a part in a show, I offer my services as a hostess, set designer or in ticket sales.
Relay for Life: 2003-2009
Relay for Life is something I decided to get involved in in 9th grade after finding out that my friends were on a team. Like many families in the world, mine has had to deal with the devastating loss of a family member to cancer. The team I was involved with in high school was one of the favorites of the hosting staff and when we broke up to go to college we were asked for several years to come back and help. As a team-member and Co-Captain, I was able to help with every aspect of fund raising, banner and t-shirt design, sponsorship, and team monitoring. Often times, the team as a whole was willing to help the hosting staff with set up and tear down each year as well.
Kiski Area Cross Country/Track and Field Distance Team: Team Manager and Statistician
June 2003- June 2007
It was said, many times by my head coach, that he had never made it through a season without a manager, and of those managers, I was the best he had ever seen. Going above and beyond the call of duty, I conducted practices in coach's absence, attended every meet and invitational as well as 2 practices a week, took mile splits and end times at every race, memorized team roster, attended to upkeep on team website and assisted with equipment both home and away. Even after graduation, if I attend a race to visit with old coaches and watch the runners, I am handed placeholders, given a stopwatch, a clipboard and/or told to help assist in the running of the event.
Kiski Valley YMCA: 2000-2001
At my dance school, when you turned 12, you could help teach a younger dance class if you signed up early enough. Eager to start volunteering and teaching, I assisted with a class of beginner ballerinas ages 4 and 5. I was able to help teach basic dance steps and stretches, design dance routines, and enforce classroom management policies. At the end of the year, it was I and not the head teacher that was able to perform with the girls on stage.