Volunteer Profile: Kelly Corbally

This post is one in a series on CVN volunteers. We've asked volunteers questions about volunteering to give you a sense of why people choose to volunteer with CVN, and to get to know some of our AWESOME volunteers. If you'd like to be highlighted, e-mail us at cvn.bloggers@gmail.com.

Name of Volunteer: Kelly Corbally

Position with CVN:   Social Chair

Hometown, State and/or country: Birmingham, Alabama

What first drew you to CVN? I joined CVN as a way to get back into volunteering and meet a new group of people.

Why do you think it's important to volunteer?  I believe that each person is different and has something unique to contribute to their community.  Sometimes you are given those opportunities to contribute and sometime you make them yourself.  Volunteering is a way to make those opportunities happen. 

How do you balance volunteering with work, etc.? I think that when something is important to you, you find a way to make it happen.  I also find that often I get as much out of the experience as I hope the people I’m helping do, so I try to make volunteering a priority. 

Though a community is made up of MANY needs, what causes are you most drawn to volunteer with? (not counting politics, though we think civic engagement is HUGELY important!) I am most drawn towards causes that help kids and animals.  I feel like these populations are the least able to help themselves, so they are especially in need of assistance.  That’s why I am especially a fan of things like Reading Connection and the OAR Christmas project.

What's the name and website of an organization or non-profit you'd like others to know about, and in a sentence, what do they do (in Arlington or nationally, though again, not counting political groups)? The Reading Connection, www.thereadingconnection.org, is an organization that helps create and sustain literacy-rich environments for at-risk children and families.

Throughout your life, what was the most memorable time you volunteered and why?  One of the first places I volunteered was at a day shelter called Pathways in Birmingham, where I helped to organize the clothes closet.  I remember helping a client select a couple new outfits, something which wasn’t a big deal to me made her week.  I think that was one of the first times I really began to understand the impact of volunteering.