April is National Volunteer Month! In celebration, we interviewed four CISNT volunteers to hear their “why”. Thank you to all our volunteers for being #AllInForKids!
Ngoc Brown – Enrichment Coach
How long have you been volunteering with CISNT?
I have been volunteering for about 4 years with CIS.
Can you describe what it normally looks like when you volunteer? What do you normally do, when and where do you do it, etc.
I started off mentoring a student once a week at Borman Elementary School, where my husband had attended and where we live close to. After my last child went off to college, I ended up taking the position of school nurse at the same school. Last year, I realized in working here about the CIS afterschool program. Realizing the need and opportunity, Samantha and I started a running club afterschool. There were about 20 kids attending the last week of school last year. We kept it up during the summer and then restarted this year and have several CIS students participating who try to run /walk a marathon. I also initiated a garden club and chess club. I have recruited many from my church and a neighbor to help mentor and help with these clubs. They have enjoyed the time with the kids and have found it rewarding to share their time and gifts at this season of their lives as they have more time due to retirement or are empty nesters.
What does volunteering mean to you? What impact has it had on you?
Volunteering is important to me as I enjoy helping others. I have been helped in life and identify especially with this community of students. I came to the US when I was 3 because of war in my country of origin. I understand what it’s like to try and learn a new culture and language at school but have a different one at home. I appreciate the opportunities that school gave me to try and learn new things because my parents did not know what was always possible in a new country. I had wonderful teachers who took an interest in me and school that offered me opportunities for music and sports. It’s satisfying now to help there’s as I have been helped. I understand the difference this makes.
Dorothy Watts – Individual Mentor
How long have you been volunteering with CISNT?
I’ve been with CISNT since 2014. However, I first started mentoring in the schools on an “as needed basis” following Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Denton ISD had an influx of students at all grade levels and sought experienced, retired educators to assist wherever needed.
Can you describe what it normally looks like when you volunteer?
Pre-pandemic, I’d visit my mentee on campus. We’d start with greetings and assessing how the week had gone- then we would write in a journal about whatever was important to them! After that, we would talk, play a game, color, read a book, finish an assignment, or just finish our visit with just “talk!” Since the Pandemic, our visits have been virtual. We always start with greetings, assessing the day or week or whatever is of interest to the mentees. We still write in the journal that I’ve used since 2014.
What do you normally do, when and where do you do it, etc.
Since 2020, our visits have been virtual.
What does volunteering mean to you?
Volunteering to me means giving back! My mother always said, “To whom much is given, much is required!” As a former elementary & high school teacher and also a retired school counselor, I feel as though I’ve been given plenty in the form of educational experiences and I can and should give back! Giving back may look like- mentoring to someone who may need just a little more attention, a listening ear, or just someone who makes them feel special by being their MENTOR! What impact has it had on you? I respect and value the time I’ve spent with my mentee. Our time together has impacted and challenged me to stay “student informed!” Mentoring keeps me in tune with all the changes in the classrooms and most importantly, it aids me in keeping an open mind and a positive attitude about students of today!
Andrea Abellera – Food for Kids Volunteer
How long have you been volunteering with CISNT?
I have been working with Community In Schools as the Food4Kids program contact since September 2014. Over the last nine years or so, I’ve taken on a variety of roles.
Can you describe what it normally looks like when you volunteer? What do you normally do, when and where do you do it, etc.
Primarily, I recruit and support volunteers from Garden Ridge Church of Christ to serve in the Food4Kids program. We now have four drivers delivering boxes of food twice per month during the school year to fifteen elementary schools in LISD and as of this year, we have teams of volunteers delivering food bags to classrooms every week during the school year at four different schools in LISD. I personally have served as a classroom delivery person every year as well, including to Lewisville Elementary, Degan Elementary, and most recently Vickery Elementary.
When I volunteer at Vickery Elementary, I typically double bag each food bag, as they can get holes easily. I check to make sure none of the food in the bags are damaged or expired, then deliver the requested number of bags to each classroom. I want to make sure all children receive good quality food to help them over the weekend. The number of bags each school needs to meet the needs of their students varies widely. One school that we serve, Ethridge Elementary, usually requests 5 cases (25 bags) every two weeks and school staff can distribute it to all the students that need it. Another school, Degan elementary, usually requests between 45-50 cases (225-250), and has a volunteer team to ensure that all the students have this extra food for the weekend.
What does volunteering mean to you?
I enjoy volunteering with Food4Kids/CIS because it is a tangible way to give back to my community. I feel that our Food4Kids ministry (as it is considered a ministry at Garden Ridge) not only ministers and meets the needs of children in the Lewisville/The Colony area, but also the needs of the school staff at these schools as well. I feel that schools have been given increasing complex responsibilities over time and I hope that community volunteering at these schools is a source of encouragement to the staff and students. These are all our schools, not just the ones our children attend, and need and deserve broad community support. The Flower Mound/Highland Village/Lewisville area is considered a higher income area by the general public. Volunteering has put me in touch with staff at several different schools and has opened my eyes to the hidden needs of my community.
Sue Ridnour – Reading Buddy & Leadership Group Mentor
How long have you been volunteering with CISNT?
Four years (I think – the pandemic makes it hard to keep track….)
Can you describe what it normally looks like when you volunteer? What do you normally do, when and where do you do it, etc.
I volunteer in a “Lunch with a Leader” program. A small group of women who are leaders in business or the community meet during lunch once a month with a small group of fifth grade girls to discuss leadership qualities such as respect, accountability, and determination. We discuss, do an activity, and usually have dessert. This year, I also started volunteering as a “Reading Buddy” to meet one-on-one with a second grader who is reading below grade level. We meet in the Communities in Schools office at her school, once a week during her lunch break. We practice reading a laugh a lot!
What does volunteering mean to you?
What impact has it had on you? Volunteering is important to me because as someone much smarter than me said, it is the rent I pay for the resources I take up on the planet. It is also a way to pay back to some small degree all of the blessings I have been given. Volunteering helps me remember to be grateful when I see how many students struggle to be successful with very few of the blessings I have. And, it’s fun! Through my volunteer matches, I am able to keep current on fashion, music, TV shows and all sorts of trends.
Paul Bresnahan – Individual Mentor
How long have you been volunteering with CISNT?
I started volunteering around 8 years ago when Kaiden was in Elementary School, and we have stayed together in the program since.
Can you describe what it normally looks like when you volunteer? What do you normally do, when and where do you do it, etc.
This has changed a lot over the years with Kaiden. At Elementary School we met during the lunch hour. We grabbed lunch together in the school canteen sat and mostly played games – dominos, scrabble, connect 4 or did homework – just things that allowed us to become friends and talk.
When Kaiden moved to Middle School we did a variety of things at the school – we played games like battle ships, went to the basketball court and shot hoops or projects like build star wars Lego ships – we even made a volcano (see attached picture) – again we did things we both enjoyed and it created space to talk, opening opportunities to coach on grades, friends, activities, ambition – just great conversations. At the same time because you get to know the individual you can look for changes in behavior that may be an indicator of something going on in their lives and surface that in discussion. He and I also arranged for his class to come to my offices for the day where they worked like consultants doing design thinking with data scientist and designed great new ideas that they presented.
Eight/Ninth grades were harder years to connect with Covid, but thanks to Communities in School we were able to connect over video chat until the schools opened back up and maintained relationship and contact – especially sharing how the lockdown was affecting each of us and having a place to connect.
Kaiden is now in high school, and we meet in the Communities In Schools break room, which is a great laid back area, share lunch and just talk – college, sports, jobs, cars, topical news – today it is great talking with him, he is such a level headed young man and has great perspective. Can’t wait to see him graduate and where his journey takes him next.
What does volunteering mean to you? What impact has it had on you?
For me personally it is a chance to give back to young men in a similar way that people did for me when I was going through school. I was fortunate to have people who took interest in me and guided me in a way I couldn’t get solely from my family since I was the first in the family to go to college. I also think there is a responsibility on people in industry like myself to make the next generations coming through schools aware of the new roles and opportunities that exist. My job involves apply technology to the manufacturing industry that is changing the types of jobs available – if we can connect Minecraft to designing using digital twin, gaming to factory automation using augmented reality, problem solving to AI and Data Science we can help solve the growing worker crisis we are seeing in certain industries.
The opportunity to be a mentor is something I would recommend to those who can make time and commit. For me personally it allows me to connect better with my local community through Kaiden hearing his perspective on what is going on around. It is also a great reminder to be brave and have ambition and goals – Kaiden is fearless, his commitment is infectious, when he sets his mind to achieve things he does and if he has a setback it motivates him more. Sometimes as you progress in life you can forget to be brave, to try new things and stretch yourself – I often think I learn as much through my interactions with Kaiden as he does from me.
