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[MUSIC PLAYING]
REBECCA: I started to volunteer because I wanted to
be more purposeful with my time. I thought that by volunteering, it would help me use
my time more wisely.
When I'm with my mentee, it's a great feeling because she's like family to me now.
It's like any feeling you'd have if you're hanging around with a brother or sister.
There's been a lot of times over the past 4 years I can remember very vividly and have very
fond memories of. I would plan things, and it would take time to get there, driving the
car or riding the bus or walking, and it was all of those times when we were getting from
point A to point B, we had the most important talks, we've taken some of the funniest pictures,
it was all during that downtime.
If I were to never have actually taken that step and gotten myself involved in mentoring,
I would have never known the power of those off-times.
Being named Illinois Volunteer of the Year really means a lot to me because I feel very
honored to be a part of this company and supporting the mission that we have. For every hour that
we're volunteering, we're also giving back in terms of money because without funds, these organizations can't exist.
Places that are looking for volunteers, mostly do not require any special skills, they're
just looking for volunteers. Especially when it comes to mentoring, I just had the willingness
to hang out with a kid and that's really what they're looking for -- that willingness and
patience to help them become responsible, caring adults.
[MUSIC ENDS]