Tag: volunteer week

Volunteer Spotlight: Rina Patel

Rina Patel was first introduced to the United Way of Greater Austin more than 10 years ago through her position as the Wells Fargo area president for Mid-Central Texas. Upon moving to Austin in 2013, UWATX VP of Mission Advancement Dr. Leah Meunier, who then was in charge of managing our Women’s Leadership Council (WLC), met with Rina to introduce her to the giving society. “I have remained a WLC member because I am passionate about helping our youth—particularly through early childhood education— and ensuring they are set up for success,” said Patel. “The program also offers the opportunity for motivated, passionate, community-minded women to network and collaborate for a great cause. In particular, I’ve enjoyed the WLC meetings because the team always comes up with creative ways to educate everyone about important topics that need to be addressed in Austin.” Rina is also a dedicated volunteer and appreciates that Wells Fargo is invested in giving back to our community as a corporation as well. She finds that volunteering with her team members by sharing the expertise they already have is one of the best ways to give back. Wells Fargo’s Austin team has an impressive volunteer track record. More than 495 Wells Fargo Austin team members have volunteered more than 11, 500 hours and supported 695 nonprofit organizations through these projects. This includes 100 team members serving on local nonprofit boards, building three homes for families in need over 13 days and raising more than $325,000 last year to […]

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Volunteer Spotlight: Caroline Trang and Frances Jordan

Our middle school VPL program is full of outstanding volunteers! You may have read earlier this week about Cristian Dominguez from Webb Middle School — today we are highlighting another VPL volunteer, Caroline Trang, in honor of National Volunteer Week. Caroline is a 7th grader at Decker Middle School, one of the three middle schools served by our Middle School Matters program. This year was Caroline’s first year in the VPL program, and she had the best attendance of any student in the program and was a leader of Decker’s Literacy Night activity booth. Other projects Caroline and her team have taken on include making book posters, sorting books for donation, volunteering in the school library and creating bookmarks with literacy tips for other students. Young Leaders Society (YLS) Executive Member, Frances Jordan, serves as the YLS Campus Captain of Decker Middle School and has worked closely with Caroline this past year. Frances not only volunteers through YLS, but also serves as a member of UWATX’s volunteer Resource Development Committee and helps our fundraising team find new business and make important decisions. Frances and Caroline sat down together and chatted about their involvement and volunteer experiences with UWATX:   Frances: Why do you volunteer through the VPL program? Caroline: My friend Helen made me come at first, but it turned out to be so fun! I like to help others. Frances:What are your favorite types of volunteer activities? Caroline: Helping with cleaning up the community, presenting to groups, and giving gifts to those in need. Frances: Describe […]

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Volunteer Spotlight: Jon Le, eBay

For our National Volunteer Week series, today we’re highlighting Jon Le. Jon is an outstanding and dedicated UWATX volunteer who’s been involved with UWATX for the last six months and has given his time to prep holiday meal kits for low-income families, clean-up the neighborhood during MLK Day of Service, participated in our Family Volunteer Day series and more! Hear from Jon about why he is involved with UWATX as a volunteer. “I enjoy the idea of a company that not only has the business sense to be able to thrive in the competitive market, but also helps promote the growth of the surrounding communities.” –Jon Le, eBay Tell us a little bit about yourself and how long have you been involved with United Way. I have been working for eBay for about three years. I was born and raised in Texas, originally Houston. I have been involved with United Way for about six months or so, mostly volunteering work through the campaigns they already have in place. What are some of your favorite volunteer projects you’ve worked on and why? I mostly enjoy volunteering on youth projects. I think this is in part to be able to give the youth of today as best of an opportunity as they can afford, but also, since the birth of my first child, I’ve taken a closer look at the impact I have on others and on the future. Do you feel that working for a company that gives back is important and why? eBay does a great […]

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Volunteer Spotlight: Christian Dominguez

In honor of National Volunteer Week, we are honoring UWATX’s supportive volunteers, employee campaign leaders, giving society members and more–we couldn’t do what we do without them! Cristian Dominguez is a seventh grader at Webb Middle School and has participated in the middle school Volunteer Project Leader (VPL) program for two years. Brad Wilkinson, UWATX Volunteer Engagement Specialist, and Cristian have known each other for one semester ever since Brad began attending the weekly VPL meetings at Webb. The VPL program at Webb allows Cristian and other VPL participants the opportunity to learn about community issues, build leadership skills and lead projects that help others. Cristian has consistently pushed forward new ideas on how to help others, including planning a story time booth to read to children at last year’s Community Tree Lighting event and organizing a day with classmates to pack 30 comprehensive toiletry kits for individuals transitioning from homelessness in the community. Brad and Cristian interviewed each other to discuss what motivates them to give back as well as what they have taken away from the VPL program:   Brad: Why do you volunteer through the VPL program? Cristian: “Because I like to help, a lot.” Brad: What are your favorite types of volunteer activities? Cristian: “I am excited to go to the Ronald McDonald House to make breakfast for others.” Brad: Can you describe any volunteer experience that has been helpful to you in other parts of your life (such as school)? Cristian: “Helping is something you can do […]

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