What’s it like as a first-time Emerging Leader volunteer?

A Q & A with a recent addition to the Emerging Leader volunteer crew!

For those who are curious about Emerging Leaders, particularly our second Saturday volunteer projects, here’s a quick Q & A with Frank Kelly, a Darigold Logistics Specialist and new Emerging Leader, to review what a project is like and why you should sign up for the next one!

Question: Where did you volunteer and how did the day start?

Answer: On Saturday Aug 8^th an enthusiastic group of young professionals in the Seattle area made the short trek down to El Centro de la Raza in the Beacon Hill district to volunteer as a part of the Emerging Leaders group of United Way. We started right at 10am with a quick tour of El Cento de la Raza and all of the great programs and services they provide with the goal of building unity across all racial and economic backgrounds.

Q: What kind work did you accomplish?

A: After the tour we separated into three groups participating in different activities helping El Centro prepare for their Gala event on September 26^th.

• One group used their creative minds to create item descriptions for the auction at the Gala event.
• Another group sanded and painted wooden crates that would be filled with wine and other goodies.
• The last group attached rubber brands to flyers that would be sent out to the Seattle community advertising the opportunity to be cemented in history by purchasing a brick with their name on it at El Centro.

Q: How did you think it went, as a rookie Emerging Leader volunteer?

A: With this being my first United Way volunteer event as an Emerging Leader (I’ve done Day of Caring with my company) I didn’t know what to expect. But I must say this event exceeded my expectations as it was extremely organized and seemed like more than just a simple volunteer project.

Q: Why should other people in their 20s and 30s join?

A: Whether you are interested in helping your local community, networking, having fun meeting new people or all of the above, I would definitely recommend checking out Emerging Leaders as a way to get involved!