240.777.2600

July-August 2024

Lazy days? Not a chance!

There are too many great ways to volunteer this summer! Do good things—and have fun, too! Visit MontgomeryServes.org for opportunities and ideas!

—From the Volunteer Center Staff

SPOTLIGHT: Shine YOUR Light!

Organizations can request a Spotlight article in the Volunteer News! This newsletter is for volunteers, so a feature can help when looking for them. (Just give us plenty of lead time, as production takes a while.) All you have to do is complete this brief form.

Honorees at the June 25 awards ceremony (left to right): Joyce Seigel, Bruce Adams, Warren Fleming, Catherine Leggett, W. Gregory Wims, Mary Canapary, County Executive Marc Elrich, Airyck Dvorak, Tejusvi Vijay, Chris Cox, Amy Cox, Laura Starr Ramos, Wendy Kent, Eden Levy, Cailyn Farrell, Abigail Eisenhart, Paula Sales Corpuz and Saanvi Lanke.

2024 Ceremony Honors Exceptional Volunteers of All Ages

County Executive Marc Elrich did the honors at the Montgomery Serves Awards (MSA) ceremony, which recognized some of the County's most distinguished volunteers and community servants—and stellar students. Visit the MSA page on MontgomeryServes or download the MSA 2024 program for details about their amazing contributions. You can access a Flickr album of photos from the event and watch the ceremony on YouTube.

From left to right: Saanvi Lanke, Elijah Hillard, Abigail Eisenhart, Cailyn Farrell, Jayson Lee, Paula Sales Corpuz, Eden Levy, Ruby Rojas and Airyck Dvorak.

A special feature of this year's MSAs was the presentation of honors to MCPS students who went above and beyond in Student Service Learning.

Students earning the highest number of SSL hours out of all MCPS students in their grade:

GRADE 6: Saanvi Lanke, Shady Grove Middle School—555 SSL Hours.

GRADE 7: Elijah Hillard, Parkland Middle School—839 SSL Hours.

GRADE 8: Abigail Eisenhart, Hallie Wells Middle School—1007.5 SSL Hours.

GRADE 9: Cailyn Farrell, Poolesville High School—1175.5 SSL Hours.

GRADE 10: Jayson Lee, Poolesville High School—1528 SSL Hours.

GRADE 11: Paula Sales Corpuz, Gaithersburg High School—2652 SSL Hours.

GRADE 12: Edin Levy, Einstein High School—2066.5 SSL Hours.



Student service spotlight: The following students were recognized for their dedication to making a meaningful impact on the community through service-learning.

★Ruby Rojas, 12th Grade, Richard Montgomery High School: for helping new students adjust to life in the U.S., tutoring younger students and co-founding a STEM club—all to help students succeed.

★Veronica Sulima, 12th Grade, Poolesville High School: for so much quality time spent volunteering with Great and Small to provide therapeutic horseback riding for children and adults with disabilities.

★Airyck Dvorak, 8th Grade, North Bethesda Middle School: for turning his passion for the role-playing game Dungeons and Dragons into developing a safe space for students with disabilities to learn and grow.

BE A BONE BUILDER!

The Bone Builders program is currently looking for volunteers to lead free exercise classes in Damascus, Silver Spring and Germantown! This is a wonderful way to help others (and yourself) maintain and increase bone mass, build strength and improve balance. Never attended a Bone Builders class? Not a problem! You’ll be mentored by current leaders before you begin training. Joining Bone Builders is a fun way to volunteer and socialize while you get some exercise, too!

After more than six years, the Montgomery County Volunteer Center bids farewell to Sandy Smith. Sandy started at the Volunteer Center in 2018 when she joined as an Advisor with the 50+ Volunteer Network. She later became the first virtual host of the Volunteer Center’s cable show, Make a Difference. Recording the show from her home over Zoom, Sandy didn’t let the pandemic stop her!

In the fall of 2022, Sandy joined the Volunteer Center staff as a Senior Fellow, where she continued as the host of Make a Difference and took charge as the MCVC’s outreach manager. Throughout her time at the Volunteer Center, Sandy has been a fixture at tabling and outreach events throughout the County, at all MCVC events and as a warm presence on Make a Difference.

Be sure to watch Sandy’s final episodes of Make a Difference as you join us in thanking her for her many contributions! Below are brief reports of her June and July-August episodes. She left us with one more, which will be featured in September. The full Make a Difference series is available on Montgomery County Cable TV.

We are grateful for Sandy’s dedication to the community, her ability to adapt during and after the pandemic and her wealth of knowledge as she supported the transition of new MCVC leadership. We are excited to see where her talents lead her next and expect to still see her at various MCVC events!

June: Girls on the Run of Montgomery County

Sandy interviewed Lauren Barbera (pictured at left), associate program director of the Montgomery County chapter of Girls on the Run (GOTR), a national, nonprofit organization that helps girls in grades 3–8 develop social, emotional, physical and behavioral skills. The program's goal is to inspire girls to be confident, healthy and joyful and help them reach their full potential. GOTR aims to reach girls at a critical stage, strengthening their confidence when society might start telling them they can't. 

GOTR's research-based lessons are delivered by trained volunteers and coaches and incorporate running and other physical activities. Practices often include a warm-up or discussion, a healthy snack, running and activities to do while running. 

GOTR programs are tailored for elementary and middle school girls and include Junior Coach opportunities for high school girls ages 15-18 (coaching is SSL eligible!). GOTR also provides program scholarships for families in need. 

View the interview on YouTube. For more information, visit GOTR's page on MontgomeryServes.

New opportunities are posted often on the Volunteer Center website—MontgomeryServes—and there are many ways to search. You can try different combinations of filters to find the best volunteer fit for you. And share exciting links and opportunities with others.

Here is a set of quick links for more information:

Search for Volunteer Opportunities

Student Service Learning - SSL

50+ Volunteer Network

Volunteer Opportunities for Groups

Search by Organization

Court - Ordered Service

Days of Service (including MLK Day and much more)