Vice-President of Client Services (FSI)
Tallahassee, FL
Since I was young, I have volunteered, primarily working at high school events. As a member of the National Honor Society and Student Council in high school, I also had the opportunity to volunteer for community events.
In 2006 after my mother-in-law had surgery to remove a brain tumor, she could no longer volunteer with local organizations she was involved with. She has always been someone I have admired and looked up to. A nice way to honor her was to volunteer with one of those organizations to which she belonged. I chose to volunteer and sit on the Liberty County Arts Council in Bristol, Florida, since I loved performing arts from a young age, participating in school and church plays.
The goal of the Council was to serve the citizens of Liberty County by promoting the arts and culture in Liberty County. I participated on the Council for over ten years and served as Chairperson for several years. Promoting art in various forms to our small rural county was especially beneficial to our school-age children. I helped organize school field trips to our annual art show, “Art Alive” as well as help with several musical productions for our local students. One year I even got to be on stage for our “Princess Whatsername” production. When one of the students could not play her role, I stepped in to portray the evil fairy.
The era of COVID put a halt to so many organization activities, including the Liberty County Arts Council. I have signed up as a “Front of House” volunteer for Theatre Tallahassee. Theatre Tallahassee started out as Tallahassee Little Theatre in 1949. It is a non-profit organization whose mission is to further and promote a community understanding of the literary and dramatic arts.
Tallahassee Theatre, like many other non-profit organizations, relies heavily on volunteers. I encourage everyone to volunteer with a local organization (or local chapter of a national organization), even if it is only a few hours a week/month. Volunteering is a two-way street. Giving of your time and getting so much more in return with the camaraderie with those who have like interest, as well as the satisfaction from seeing the joy of those who receive the benefits of these organizations.
