It’s Staff Spotlight time and we want to introduce you to one of our newest members, Emileigh Vandermaarel! Welcome Emily and thanks for taking the time to sit down and tell us a little about yourself!
So Emileigh, tell us what a typical day looks like for you? She shared, “My day usually consists of checking for new volunteer inquiries, and then connecting with those people to help them become involved in the appropriate program. I’m the first point of contact at the agency for people who are coming through for community-based programs (i.e. ERYM, Big Brothers, Big Sisters, and C2M). If people have signed up to be a volunteer they are likely to have their screening interviews with me. The rest of my job involves guiding people through the enrollment process and doing their home assessments, getting their police checks and references, and providing the volunteer training sessions. When all of the enrollment pieces are done, I’m the person who gets to match the volunteers in Big Brothers and Big Sisters with their mentees.”
Sounds like Emileigh has quite the task on her hand and the organization appreciates all of her hard work! I am sure she is very busy but we were sure to ask her why she likes coming to work each day. She said that, “I would say there are a couple of reasons I love coming to work every day. The first is the team I work with at the office. They are a group of amazing people who love what they do and are passionate about their work, and they are also funny and supportive. I like getting to interact with the volunteers and doing their interviews, because they are awesome people who are giving up their free time to better the life of a child. I would have to say my absolute favorite part is when I get to call a family and tell them that their child has been selected by a volunteer. The excitement and the joy that come from that phone call is like nothing I’ve ever experienced before. Whenever I get to make those phone calls I get excited and it’s an amazing feeling to know that I’ve just helped make the difference in the life of a child for the better.”
Wow that sounds amazing and so rewarding! But as always, it’s not all work, we wanted to know what Emileigh likes to do in her spare time, “I’m a pretty low-key person and don’t do that many exciting things. I enjoy reading, going for walks, running, going out for dinner with friends. I’m really close with my family, and I enjoy spending time with them and just hanging out. It’s always a good time when my family gets together. Whenever I get a chance to play with a dog is always a bonus as well. I watch a lot of Netflix to unwind at the end of a work day, and some of favorite shows include Dragon’s Den, Grey’s Anatomy, and Friends. I also really enjoy cooking and baking and trying out new recipes.”
Sounds like a ton of fun and thank you Emileigh for taking the time! Tune in again soon for another Staff Spotlight.