Community impact is a team effort, and the organizations in Story County can’t do it alone. Volunteers help keep things running smoothly at our partner agencies, and support UWSC through giving their time at annual events such as Day of Caring and the food drive or helping community members file taxes through VITA. And while volunteering makes a huge impact on our community, it also changes the lives of our volunteers as well.
For Reese, volunteerism has become an integral part of her life. Beginning with hands on experience at Iowa State University where she was Director of Philanthropy for her sorority Alpha Delta Pi. After graduation, she was inspired to see this same attitude for volunteerism reflected in the Story County Community. Every day, she goes to work at VisionBank and is surrounded by people who value giving back.
“I have never met an organization who’s more service oriented. In my interview I asked my supervisor, what’s the most fulfilling thing that you’ve done? And she said, ‘work with United Way.’ I’m like, I need to be a part of that!”
Reese was able to participate in both Day of Caring and our annual food drive. She notes how eye opening it was to see the wide variety of non-profits in Story County during Day of Caring. When asked what moment stuck out to her, the answer back was unexpected.
“It’s a bit of a funny memory, seeing this pony with an inhaler,” her team had gone to help at One Heart Equestrian Therapy, Inc. “It wasn’t a resource that was directly literacy or food security based. But about animal therapy. It was great to expand my knowledge of the resources available in the community.”
Reese notes that each volunteer experience has opened her eyes in one way or another. At the food drive, their team delivered close to 1,400 pounds of donated food and hygiene products to UWSC partner agencies. She realized how large of an impact the food drive makes. The number of people in our county who go to bed hungry at night is much higher than most people realize. Nearly 1 in 3 Story County households are food insecure. By volunteering in the food drive, Reese was able to actively see the difference being made by UWSC, her team and the community. She feels that ever since getting involved, it’s made her more empathetic to the people around her.
“I feel like people can just kind of go about their day and go to their job and then that’s all they do. But that wasn’t as fulfilling for me as I thought it would be. So, having something to get out in the community and not only help people, but meet new people, has filled that gap.”
And if someone is curious about volunteering, but doesn’t know where to start, Reese has advice. “Just ask,” she says, “all you have to do is just reach out with the question and see if there’s a program that fits. There are so many different ways that it can fit what you’re good at.”
At United Way of Story County, volunteers like Reese make a real impact in our community through opportunities of all kinds. Whether they are mentoring youth, assisting with food drives, helping a senior complete their taxes their time and talents can bring about meaningful change. Reese shares that, “United Way is probably the most fulfilling organization that I’ve worked with. 100%. When people ask what I do in your free time? I say, let me tell you.”