This week’s Featured Volunteer is Angelica Carey. Check out our Q&A with Angelica.

Can you tell us about a meaningful/memorable volunteer experience that you found through VolunteerCompass?

Most of my volunteering has been with Youth Villages where I served as a mentor to two young girls. I have always been involved in youth improvement and empowerment programs, and so when I first moved to Memphis and heard about that volunteering opportunity, I knew it would be a great fit. What really hit home for me is learning that most of the kids that enter Youth Villages are from the foster system and homes where they can no longer live and feel safe. Growing up was tough for me and my brothers. Having a mentor was one of the sole reasons I continued to push through and I have wondered if only my brothers had mentors, maybe they would have had different lives or wouldn’t have struggled as much. Being in these girls’ lives really filled a personal void for me, but also showed me that I can be someone else’s idea of success and reason to push through.

What would you say to someone who is thinking of signing up to volunteer through Volunteer Odyssey?

Definitely do it!! I talk about the organization whenever I meet someone new or when I’m interacting with different stakeholders around Memphis that mention a need for volunteers. The site is great because you can literally search for anything you may want to help with, and likely will find something that will work with your availability and personal preferences. There’s a lot of good to be done, but also a lot of good people that want to do it. We can’t move Memphis forward without taking our own steps as part of the progress, and volunteering is definitely a way to do it. Sign up and try something, move on if it wasn’t your thing, and then try another! 

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Visit VolunteerCompass to find your ideal volunteer opportunity.