Volunteer Spotlight, Experience Is Golden
Daron is one of those people whose bright smile and attitude makes you feel at ease. Humbly, she gives thanks to Extreme Community Makeover for opening doors for her career path. Currently, she is the Corporate Event Planner for the nonprofit Colorado Advanced Manufacturing Alliance. She is thankful to be in a job that is a perfect fit. Daron can remember a time, after graduating college, when she did not have the experience she needed to move her towards her desired career path in event planning. That is when Extreme Community Makeover came along.
The ECM Fun Day Event is a success Daron now looks back on. This event is a volunteer appreciation BBQ and Daron remembers planning this annual event in its early stages. Fundraising campaigns, event planning, admin work, and helping with Saturday Work Days kept her busy throughout the internship. The chance to see the ins and outs of the nonprofit world was invaluable to Daron. She planned events and fundraising campaigns from start to finish. With this experience, she landed a job with Colorado Biz Magazine as their Event Coordinator; leading Daron to her current position with Colorado Advanced Manufacturing Alliance.
"At the end of the day, I owe my career success to Angela. She took a chance on me and gave me a break. She was so encouraging," graciously says Daron. She found out about the internship with ECM through an internship nonprofit matchmaker. Immediately, Daron knew it would be a good fit. She had the opportunity to see people's lives changed and their communities transformed. She sensed that the people involved with ECM truly cared. She felt she was with like-minded people.
Volunteering gives you a new perspective on life. It can change your heart and allow you to see people and your community in a new way. For Daron, it not only did all these things, but also gave her a stepping stone into gaining valuable skills to reach her career dreams. Sometimes, we need to give a little in order to gain a little. So whether, you want to gain a new friend, gain a new perspective, gain a new skill, etc. consider giving of yourself through volunteering.
A true testimony to the value and structure of Extreme Community Makeover is that Daron still volunteers with ECM. Angela and the folks at ECM have become family to Daron. "It's truly inspiring how Angela cares and all the good work she does," says Daron with a smile.