A community has no greater resource than it's human capital, which is why I am passionate about investing my time, energy, and expertise into my community by volunteering with amazing organizations and groups to make a real difference. Below are some of the awesome organizations I have been able to volunteer with and support in their missions in recent years:
Slammin’ Famine / Feed My Starving Children
Event Volunteer
Slammin’ Famine is the Northern Colorado Mobile-Pack event that helps Feed My Starving Children (FMSC), a nonprofit hunger relief organization, in accomplishing their mission. This annual event provides the opportunity for churches, businesses, families, and individuals to volunteer and pack thousands of nutritionally complete meals that will help save the lives of malnourished children around the world. The special ingredients are purchased with donations made by generous volunteers and partners.
Within the past 5 years, Slammin’ Famine has packed over 2.6 million meals, raised over $630,000, feeding over 5,000 kids for a year. More than 12,000 volunteers have participated.
Learn More: https://www.slamminfamine.org
DECA
Competitive Events Judge
DECA prepares emerging leaders and entrepreneurs for careers in marketing, finance, hospitality and management in high schools and colleges around the globe. In DECA high school students have the opportunity to obtain leadership skills that will give them a head start toward a career in business, as well as have a positive effect on their community.
Volunteering with DECA allows me to make a real difference in the preparation of emerging leaders and entrepreneurs. As a non-parent with no affiliation to the schools I am able to both serve as a role model as well as help provide feedback and guidance to high school students as they prepare for a future in business.
DECA Inc. is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit student organization with over 152,000 members in all 50 United States, Canada, Guam, Puerto Rico and Germany. The United States Congress, the United States Department of Education and state, district and international departments of education authorize DECA’s programs.
Learn More: https://www.deca.org
FIRST Colorado
Competitive Events Judge / Volunteer (First Lego League Annual Qualifiers)
The Mission of FIRST is to inspire young people to be science and technology leaders, by engaging them in exciting mentor-based programs that build science, engineering and technology skills, that inspire innovation, and that foster well-rounded life capabilities including self-confidence, communication, and leadership.
The mission of Colorado FIRST is to deliver high quality FIRST robotics programs to students in Colorado including managing tournaments, supporting teams, and working with our program mentors. Our long term goal is to develop the business and technology leaders of tomorrow. Our long term goal is to have FIRST teams in at least 75% of the more than 1800 Colorado K-12 public and private schools. Our annual goal is to increase the number of Colorado’s K-12 students participating in the programs of FIRST. A significant increase in grades K-12 participation in all the ColoradoFIRST programs will build the talent pipeline for Colorado’s STEM based economy.
The FIRST® robotics program is recognized as one of the "most compelling, creative, and successful" K-12 programs of any genre by educators around the globe. "It's never been about the robots. We don't use kids to build robots. We use robots to build kids." - Dean Kamen, FIRST Founder
Learn More: https://coloradofirst.org/COFIRST/
A Backpack of My Own
Team Organizer, Volunteer
Fills backpacks with school supplies that are provided to children in Larimer and Weld counties in foster and adoptive programs.
Learn More: Madwire Blog Post | Local News Coverage
Be the Gift
Team Organizer, Volunteer
Provides holiday gifts to single and widowed moms and their kids. With their limited income and all their time poured into their kids, single moms sometimes struggle to maintain and repair their home. Be the Gift’s team of project managers and community volunteers work together to provide home repairs for single moms as a gift. We give them a safer, healthier and more functioning home in which to raise their children.
Learn More: https://www.bethegift.com
