What is your role at Firespring, and what are some of the things you do?
I am a marketing project coordinator who oversees active creative jobs; making sure they are on time and within budget. In this role, I also attend client meetings to document the conversation so that we know we’re meeting client expectations. I also contribute to our promotions team by providing estimates and placing promo orders for our clients.
What is your favorite part about your job?
The people! I love that I get to work with different teams and see their talents shine. I also like organization. This role allows me to check things off of my list and manage multiple projects at once.
Where do you volunteer and what do you do there?
I volunteer with First Free Church! I am a middle school youth leader there. This means that I get to help organize events, Sunday School, weeknight programming and small group studies. I’ve also volunteered for week-long summer trips to Wyoming, Wisconsin and South Dakota!
How long have you been volunteering there?
I’ve been volunteering with my church in this capacity for 9 years. However, I also served in the nursery from age 13 to 18.
What got you interested in this kind of volunteering?
I attended the same youth program in middle school, and the leaders had a major impact on my life. Now, I get to serve alongside others who were in middle school at the same time as me! I love getting to work with middle schoolers because it’s an impactful, transitional period in their lives. My hope is that I can have an impact on their lives while teaching them about Jesus’ love and love on them!
What is the most rewarding thing about your volunteering?
Getting to love them and help navigate an interesting/awkward time in their middle school lives.
Do you have any heartwarming stories from your volunteering experiences?
I once had a student take me aside and break down because she didn’t feel like she knew Jesus well enough. It felt so good to know that she trusted me with this. After that, we got to spend some one on one time together to talk and encourage prayer. Sometimes it feels like I’m not impacting the students, but then something like this happens and it rejuvenates me!
A more recent story is that I finally connected with one student who had not shown much interest for three years. She started talking to me during our small group and later opened up to me about her interests and where she feels insecure. I love the baby steps that we’re taking together.
How do you bring insights from your volunteer work to your job at Firespring?
As a project coordinator, I keep projects in line, which is what I do at youth group. We have small group and large group nights, so I could be managing anywhere from 8-45 middle schoolers at a time. Keeping them on track and focused can be challenging, but we always get things done!
I also believe that learning how to talk to different personalities at church applies to different personalities that I work with at the office and with clients.
Why do you think it’s important that Firespring requires volunteering?
I think that volunteering is important because it takes the focus off of self and puts it onto others. It’s incredibly satisfying to serve others, watch them thrive and/or take the burden off of them. I also enjoy volunteering with others and establishing new relationships with them.
How does volunteering bring you satisfaction in your personal life?
I’ve had the ability to grow along with our middle schoolers. When I began volunteering at the church, I was 19 years old and was still learning and growing myself. Now, I feel more equipped to serve and lead while also sharing Christ’s love with our students. Catching up with my students every week and learning about each individual’s unique interests is what keeps me going!
Learn more about how Firespring gives back through the Power of Three program.