In this economy, schools appreciate any extra help they can get. Parents can provide this much-needed assistance in many ways, but it takes a strong leader to coordinate all the awesome volunteers.
Today, our Volunteer Spotlight shines on Alicia Schmitt, PTA Parent (former elementary and middle school PTA Vice President) at a high school in Reston, VA. She's been using VolunteerSpot to coordinate parent volunteers for the many events held at their school.
****What's your role as a volunteer leader?
I am currently the PTSA Hospitality Co-Chair for a high school. I am responsible for hosting several breakfasts and lunches throughout the year. This includes working with and organizing many volunteers.
What other activities are you involved in as a volunteer?For the past eleven years, I have been an active volunteer in both of my children's schools. I have served many years on the PTA board for two schools; organized events as a classroom parent; taught art programs; assisted teachers with reading and study programs; chaperoned field trips; and was lead planner for graduation events for both of my children's sixth grade classes. Other activities include organizing swim team spirit apparel for nearly 100 swimmers every summer; supporting youth baseball teams as team parent and events organizer; and volunteering for the National Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington, D.C. These are just a few of the many volunteer activities in which I have participated.
How did you get interested in volunteering?
After the birth of my first son, I decided to stop working, but did not want to discontinue my community service. It was essential that I stay active in my children's schools so that I could not only give back to the community, but also get to know other parents, teachers and administrators and provide an enriching experience for the students.
What’s one piece of advice you have for parent volunteers out there?My advice for parent volunteers is to keep doing what you are doing. Stay active in your children's schools and community. It's amazing what you can learn and the people you meet are wonderful! Over the years, I've learned to work as a volunteer like I work for a paycheck; organized and focused on getting the job done right, but the end result is much more rewarding than that paycheck when you see a smile on a child's face, and he says, "Thank you." Those teachers and communities need you more than ever, so stay involved.
Why did you decide to use VolunteerSpot?I decided to use VolunteerSpot because my mother told me to, and, yes, I actually listened to my mother. She sent me a link because she found it online and said it looked like something I could use. I usually spend hours and hours each year organizing volunteers, and she thought this would be a time-saver for me and beneficial for the volunteers. Moms are always right.
Anything else you’d like our readers to know?
I would like volunteers to know that there is an incredible resource available to assist with your event organization: It's called VolunteerSpot. What a world of difference it makes to simply post the jobs and items needed online and have the volunteers receive notification and reminders without me doing anything! It used to take me hours of back-and-forth emails, asking for items, explaining to people that the items they signed-up for were already spoken for, then listing other items they could bring. It was nearly endless. The volunteers appreciate the convenience and easy access to the website. When you are organizing an event, whether you have a small or large volunteer base, using VolunteerSpot makes life easier, and it's one of the most user-friendly websites I've used!
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We salute Alicia and all the other volunteer leaders out there helping those in need. If you're using VolunteerSpot, write and tell us about what you're doing and give us a chance to shine our Volunteer Spotlight on you!! Just email us at [email protected]
