Extreme Teams Volunteer of the Month-September 2026

Julia is our Extreme Teams Volunteer of the Month! For nearly five years, Julia has been part of the Extreme Community Makeover team, bringing more than 15 years of storytelling experience in journalism, documentary, sports, and the nonprofit sector to her work with the Video Team.

As a director and producer, Julia has built her career around finding and telling stories that connect people to their communities. At Extreme Community Makeover, she uses that experience to help share the people, stories, and impact behind each workday.

How did you first get involved in Extreme Community Makeover?

A friend of mine, Jesse, was on the Extreme Community Makeover team and asked if I could help with the script for one of the projects. They liked what I did and asked if I would come back and help out.

I was also new to the area at the time, so I thought it would be a great way to meet people while using my skill set to give back to the community.

Honestly, I’m not sure I would have sought it out on my own, so I’m really glad my friend reached out to me!

Can you tell us about something memorable you’ve experienced during a workday?

One of the most memorable experiences happened at a workday where we were cleaning up a woman’s yard.

We don’t always get the opportunity to talk with residents. Sometimes they stay inside while the volunteers are working. But this woman came outside as we were finishing up. She was overwhelmed and started thanking us. She became emotional and told us how much the work meant to her and how helpful it was.

She talked about how much it meant to her that neighbors were helping neighbors. I’ve been volunteering with Extreme Community Makeover for about five years, and I had never seen someone become that emotional about the work we were doing.

I know people appreciate the help, but seeing how deeply it affected her was really meaningful to me.

How do you see Extreme Community Makeover making an impact during workdays?

I’ve volunteered alongside different real estate groups, painting groups, and other teams, and I think the impact is really clear.

We’re helping clean up neighborhoods, but we’re also helping people feel seen and supported — especially people who might not otherwise receive that kind of help.

There’s also an impact among the volunteers themselves. People get to meet their coworkers or teammates in a completely different setting. They’re doing something together, having fun, and building new friendships.

So there’s this community being built not only among the residents, but among the volunteers, too.

In your perspective, how is Extreme Community Makeover making a difference in Denver neighborhoods?

There’s the obvious, visible impact, cleaning up alleys, removing graffiti, improving people’s homes and making neighborhoods look better.

But I think Extreme Community Makeover is also teaching people what it means to be a good neighbor by example. It’s showing up for community members who need help and reminding people that we all have a role to play in caring for our communities.

And I think it goes beyond the physical cleanup, too. Programs like Supper Club and the work to spotlight local businesses are another way Extreme Community Makeover is strengthening neighborhoods.

It helps people discover businesses they might not otherwise know about, brings people into these neighborhoods, and builds goodwill within the community.

“I’ll be honest, there are some days I show up and think, ‘Oh shoot, I have so much going on today.’ But I literally never leave a workday feeling worse than I started. I always leave feeling energized and happy because I know I’ve done something that matters.”

Congratulations Julia!

Congratulations to Julia for being ECM’s Extreme Teams Volunteer of the Month for August! Learn more about how you can also get involved in the Extreme Teams. Check back in October to see who Julia nominated to be the next Volunteer of the Month!