Despite the uncertainty the world has faced amid the COVID-19 pandemic, one thing is certain: many people have a passion for helping others. From municipal committees, civic task forces and courthouses to athletic courts, camps and schools, the contribution of time, talent and treasure made by our colleagues is nearly immeasurable. In celebration of National Volunteer Week, we’d like to spotlight a few of our associates who have so generously given to the communities in which we live, work and play.
I volunteer as a co-leader for my daughter’s Girl Scout troop. All the Girl Scout cookies that she sells in the office earns her ‘cookie dough’ which she uses to pay for camp. Sadly, this year’s camp is canceled due to the pandemic. I also volunteer at my daughter’s school, helping organize and host various events and making treats for holiday parties, and I coach her recreational volleyball team in the spring and fall. On Sundays, I volunteer as a parent helper in my daughter’s Sunday School in the children’s choir.
Since 2017, I’ve been a member of the Transportation Infrastructure and Safety Committee for the City of Hurst, Texas. This committee advises the City Council on matters pertaining to traffic safety. In 2016, I obtained my Community Emergency Response Training from the City of Hurst and became a member of its Community Emergency Response Team (CERT). This team of trained volunteers responds to emergencies and natural disasters that impact the community, providing support to first responders, conducting light search and rescue operations, and educating the community about emergency preparedness. I also serve as Co-President of the Colleyville Middle School Choir Booster Club and as Secretary of the Versailles Parc HOA.
I serve as a Volunteer First Responder (EMT, Emergency Services, Storm Anticipation and Tracking, and County Search and Rescue) for the Village of Romeoville (IL.) Emergency Management Agency. I earned my EMT license in 2013 and since then I have become a Basic Life Support Instructor (CPR), Severe Bleeding Control Instructor and a National Weather Service Severe Weather Instructor. In addition, I serve our youth as Boy Scouts of America Assistant Scoutmaster and an NRA Range Safety Officer/Shotgun Instructor teaching safe and responsible use of firearms in shooting sports. I really enjoy giving back to my community, providing comfort for those who are hurting, keeping our community safe, and educating our youth.
For the past four years, I have been a member of my HOA board, which serves 365 condo owners. It has been a great experience – I’ve learned a lot about what it takes to keep a community running smoothly, including community issues, board meetings, budgets, finances, landscaping, legal issues, community repairs, communications and consensus-building. My professional experience in construction management has been helpful as we review and approve requests and engage contractors to repair, replace or improve exterior elements throughout the complex.
I’m a member of Team In Training (TNT), which benefits the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. The showcase event has raised more than $1.3 billion for cancer research since it began in 1988. The cycling event at Lake Tahoe – known as America’s Most Beautiful Bike Ride – includes 100-mile, 72-mile and 35-mile courses. Since 2007, I’ve raised more than $80,000 and ridden my bike around Lake Tahoe nine times. My first ride in 2007 was with my father-in-law. In 2019, I rode with my son. This year’s event has been postponed from June until September due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The upside is that I’ll have more time to raise money and train. After enduring the stay-at-home order, the training will feel great! When I’m not focused on TNT, I’m probably shaving my head for Hope Lodge, which provides housing for families undergoing cancer treatment at area hospitals.
I volunteer through the Leawood Rotary. We support several community organizations including Habitat for Humanity, where we paint and repair homes in Kansas City. We pack meals for Rise Against Hunger. And one of my favorite activities: raising funds with our developer clients who sponsor the Leawood Rotary 5k Run on Labor Day. Doug Weltner of Colliers and Mission Farms, and Ken Block of Block Real Estate Services, have each been incredibly generous in their support.
We are very active as a family in Fellowship Church in Dallas, and at FC Kids, where I serve every weekend. Full disclosure: my husband is the kid’s pastor so let’s just say I never miss my scheduled volunteer time. It’s an honor to serve the Dallas community every weekend – greeting families, getting kids safely checked in, and helping to make sure everyone has an amazing experience while there.
I engage in a variety of volunteer activities throughout the year. I helped coordinate the Shoebox Project, our office holiday giving program, which fills shoeboxes with supplies for the homeless at Christmas. My kids and I help write and distribute Christmas letters to Parsons House, an assisted living facility in Frisco, make blankets for a local animal shelter, and make sandwiches for the homeless through Preston Meadow Lutheran Church. We also participate in the annual food drive to benefit North Texas Food Bank. We also donated 30 Costco-sized jars of peanut butter for the food bank’s grand opening. I also help plan and host the annual Birthday Bash for residents at Mosaic, a program for adults with disabilities. We also participate in the supply drive for Mosaic residents – we collect cleaning supplies, linens, kitchen utensils, dishes and other needed items.
I serve as an advisor to Undergraduate Medical Education students at Texas Christian University/UNT Health Science Center who are leading a personal protective equipment (PPE) drive for Fort Worth area healthcare professionals. Like many communities, our front-line healthcare workers are facing a severe shortage of PPE as they battle the COVID-19 pandemic. The PPE drive seeks face shields, gowns, Tyvek suits, gloves and masks.
I will also serve as a virtual juror for the Graduate Architectural Education program at Texas A&M. Through a Zoom meeting, I’ll attend the final review of the ARCH 606 Health Track graduate design studio. I’m excited to see the students’ ideas and to engage with the next generation of architects.
From September 2019 to March 2020, we mentored a group of 10 Girl Scouts. We met once a month and planned for the Cookie Construction Build Day, held March 7 at Kansas City’s Crown Center. The Cookie Construction event is a way for girls interested in STEM to learn about architecture and construction in a fun and interactive environment.