Volunteer Spotlight: Dynamic Duos
Signing up with a close friend or family member can be a great way to get started when looking to commit time to your community. As we get ready to round out our volunteer programs for the ‘21-’22 school year, Ellen Fee, our Program & Volunteer Manger spoke with some of our volunteers who participate in pairs with friends or loved ones!
Check out their conversations below! Interested in volunteering? We will have opportunities with our summer programs. Email aminah@826msp.og for more information!
Brody & Cal
Roomates
Brody and Cal, former dorm neighbors and now roommates, met at the University of Minnesota. Cal first started volunteering in 2021 as a part of a service-learning course. When Brody ended up taking the same course a year later, they decided to sign up together for a Thursday shift at After-School Writing Lab.
What’s the best part of volunteering with a buddy?
Cal: I really enjoy being able to reflect on each session, especially about different strategies to engage the students.
Brody: I would agree that reflecting and reminiscing about the day's fun is a highlight. It was also nice to have a friend to show me the ropes and introduce me to people at the start.
What would you tell someone who’s thinking about getting involved at 826 MSP?
Cal: The best part of volunteering is that every day is different. The energy the students bring is contagious and makes me excited to come back each week.
Hanan & Ayat
Friends
Hanan and Ayat met during freshman orientation at the University of Minnesota. Together, they signed up to volunteer during our 2020 Outdoors Outspoken summer program and stuck around for After-School Writing Lab, too.
Do you have a favorite memory from volunteering, either as a team or separately?
When Hanan saw a hawk at Outdoors Outspoken 2021!
What would you tell someone who’s thinking about getting involved at 826 MSP?
It’s super fun and engaging. You will learn alongside the kids!
Brie & Ben
Spouses
Brie began as a virtual volunteer during 826 MSP’s distance-learning programming. Now, Brie and her husband Ben volunteer every Wednesday at After-School Writing Lab.
Do you have a favorite memory from volunteering, either as a team or separately?
Brie: I think the funniest memory is how the kids are so intrigued by our height! We are asked about our height almost every time we volunteer (I’m 6’0” and my husband is 6’3”) and they assume it means we’re really old. A student the other week thought I was 46 years old— I just turned 30!
What would you tell someone who’s thinking about getting involved at 826 MSP?
The creativity and unique perspectives that the kids share in their writing is pretty cool to see and their energy is contagious. We love learning the new games and interests they have. We know more about Among Us, anime and Dogman than I ever thought we would! And of course, are re-learning some skills like long division, adding fractions and other fun parts of middle school curriculum. It’s a great way to help kids with their creative writing - and trust me, you will learn a lot yourself!