Volunteer to Interact with Kids at a Social Event - Child Advocates, Inc. - Mobilizing volunteers to break the cycle of child abuse

What is your role within YPC, and how long have you been involved? I am a 2009 YPC Council Member and have been involved with YPC for two years now. I am a co-chair of the YPC membership committee.

How did you become involved in Child Advocates and YPC? Three years ago my mother became an advocate with the CASA Sugar Land group. She was assigned her first case with four children who all have very different circumstances, even though they have the same mother. In hearing their story and what she was doing for them I knew that this was something I wanted to be involved with. I got online and found the Child Advocates closest to me and found YPC. I did some research, attended a social event, and was hooked from the start. I work full-time and knew that I could not dedicate myself to being an advocate due to time constraints. YPC was a perfect way for me to get involved.

What has been your highlight with YPC? As a member of YPC, every single children’s event that I attend is a highlight. I look forward to each of these events that come up and plan my other activities so that I may attend every single event. One of my favorite things about these events is watching how easy it is to put a smile on the face of these children. It doesn't take much (a crazy costume for the fall party, a Santa hat for the Christmas party, taking time to dance with them or paint with them) and you have completely made their day. I love that I get to interact with children of all age groups and that I get to help them understand how important they are.

What's life like outside of Child Advocates? Outside of Child Advocates I work in the procurement department of Marathon Oil Company. My husband I and live in Pearland and have two dogs. We are both Texas A&M alumni and have been married for two years. I also volunteer with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Houston, Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure, and many programs that my company sponsors at Browning Elementary School. I am very close to my family and am lucky enough to have my parents and brother living in Sugar Land and we try to take advantage of that as often as possible. Family get togethers are a weekly event for us!

What is something unique about you that others might not know? One thing that others might not know about me is the fact that I someday hope to become a foster parent or adopt a child that is going through the same situations as our children at Child Advocates. The experiences I have had and the people I have met through my involvement of YPC have really pushed my drive to help out these children on a much more personal level. My husband has been very supportive of my passion for this organization and we hope that once we have become more stable in our own environment, that we can open our home to those children in need.