Volunteer Story: Alicia Kannianen

My name is Alicia and I have been a volunteer with Extreme Community Makeover (ECM) for a couple of years. I learned about the organization through Mile High Young Professionals. After my first session volunteering with ECM, I knew I wanted to return again because I enjoyed helping people feel comfortable living in their homes. Furthermore, I loved that ECM brought community members together to work on projects in the outdoors. 

After my first year, I returned and served as a team leader for a one day project. It was an amazing experience to bring young professionals to a community to work with community members. Residents were appreciative of the work our group completed while the group learned more about the community and its members. It also taught me so many important lessons about volunteer management and project management. 

After those experiences, I returned to ECM and served on the Supplies Team. Part of the roles for this position include keeping track of supplies and ensuring all the different groups get the supplies they need. Without the supplies, it’s difficult to do the work.  Reflecting on all of the experiences I have had with ECM, I will never forget painting an entire house in a day. Leading up to the project, our group collected donations for tools and paint. On the day of the event, we scraped and painted the home in one day. The resident was older and appreciated the support to make her house stand out with a new layer of paint. The whole experience showed me all the different factors that must come together to make a difference. It all revolves around community.

Alicia - ECM Supplies Team