I always set a goal for myself when I am tutoring or doing a junior program project. The kids always exceed my goals!
-- Judy Kinlough

To help the kids
To put a little joy in their lives
To let them know someone cares about them and that they are special!
To give them the little things that other kids take for granted (hugs,
listening, pictures, birthday gifts, and playing games)

We get so much more than we give. Before snacks on our last visit, we said grace and went around for each to say what they are thankful for.Alex said he is thankful for the volunteers who visit him because his family doesn't come. It breaks your heart and it's so little to do for
them.
-- Ruth and Paul Burda

“You must be the change you want to see in the world" - Mahatma Ghandi
This quotation, more than any other, sums up why I volunteer. If I help one child do one thing that he/she can feel good about - if I help one child understand what success means in any small way - if I can show one child that someone does care - then I am that change I want to see in them. You can throw money and good works at many charitable causes, but it is the one-on-one aspect of volunteering at Auberle that keeps me coming back.
-- Marcy Cendroski

I see so much need in children who come from situations that are not always positive. It is so personally rewarding to see how often they respond warmly when you are able to give them individual attention. It is also a wonderful experience assisting them at an event such as Santa’s Workshop where they can shop for family members. Their faces light up, and they get so excited when choosing something for their parents and especially other siblings. The children often feel very special when they get to participate in something like this. It has been a heartwarming experience to be involved with the Auberle children.
-- Pat Gilchrist

I help the kids because I had a rough childhood myself, and I know the loneliness a child can feel when he or she has nobody they can rely on or who will support them. I want these kids to know that they are not alone.
-- Lynn Reynolds

"To help make a difference in a child's life...a child who so deservingly needs a difference."
-- Hayley Jameson

Auberle just may be the place I was searching for. I’ve volunteered for only a short time, but truly enjoy working with the kids, staff and other volunteers. It is both challenging and rewarding!!
-- Toni Bucci

I volunteer for selfish reasons. It keeps things in perspective for me. I tend to make myself crazy over stupid things in my life. Volunteering gets me out of my little corner of the world where I am so comfortable and reminds me to be grateful for how fortunate I am. The other reason I volunteer specifically at Auberle is for the possibility of making one of those kids feel like they are not forgotten and that they matter.
-- Jeanne Nikolich

I volunteer because; children in general, tug at my heartstrings.
The ones that have little or no love in their lives really tug harder
than normal. Every child needs to know they are worth something
& deserves kindness, attention, & most of all love from someone. "The greatest of these is love".
-- Charlene Graham

I volunteer because of all of those in my life that have helped me and my family selflessly through the years. I feel that, when I am able, I should "pay it forward".
-- Mary Vey

So many kids find themselves without the structure needed for proper direction. The concept of Auberle fills that void. To assist in a small way is quite fulfilling. Whatever we do, no matter how small, seems to assist Auberle's mission. We enjoy assisting the Auberle mission in whatever way possible. It personally fulfilling to see the faces of happy children!
-- Sam & Marilyn Manfredi

On behalf of the club, we like to volunteer because we find it to be enjoyable, as well as rewarding, when we see the children having a good time and seeing the smiles on their faces.
-- Kacie Thomas

When I was a little girl, I heard a song that went like this,
If I can help somebody as I travel along, if I can cheer someone with a word or a song. I f I can show someone that thy are traveling wrong, then my living will not be in vain.

So that became in a sense a motto for my life.
I want to help, cheer, and steer others in their lives.

Perhaps I can help by sharing knowledge that I have acquired through my life experiences.

Perhaps I can cheer someone by sharing my gifts and talents.
Finally, I would love to help steer and direct young people in the right direction on the road of life.
-- Sherry Johnson

I volunteer in hope that one good deed or one kind word would be remembered and make a difference in that person's life.
-- Monica Semanisin

My husband got me involved at Auberle—he was a volunteer back when it was the Grandma’s Club! I was a child therapist then and volunteering at Auberle filled a little part of the kid in me who didn’t get to play and hang out with the kids I was working with in the therapy setting at my office. Now we’re both mentors and we get to continuing playing and hanging out, only now we can get to know our kid a little more in depth and we get to expand our playground past Auberle grounds!
-- Kathleen Petulla

I volunteer because I see the side of life that makes you remember that it's the simple things that bring pleasure - a smile, a thoughtful word, etc. The kids give me this.
-- Janice Mayni

I volunteer because I feel a need to help provide guidance and serve as a positive role model to the youth in our community. I’m involved with Auberle and I also coach an AAU basketball team. When working with the tutoring program at Auberle, I truly enjoy watching the kids develop academically and the sense of pride they display once they master a skill. I get the same gratification with the effort I put into coaching the basketball team. The coaching staff's focus is to assist the kids in developing their basketball skills while we also stress the same disciplines learned on the court are skill sets essential in life, such as; hard work, overcoming obstacles, respect for others, and the sensation of self accomplishment.
-- Jacob C. Talton

Volunteering can be defined as unselfishly offering oneself and one's services to those in need of it. I volunteer because of the unselfish quality and duty it requires. Knowing that I am helping someone, giving another person hope is so fulfilling and better than any reward I could ever receive. I completely enjoy putting a smile on others' faces because it brings a smile to my own!
Volunteering is priceless!
-- Kara Mason

100 years from now it will not matter the car you drove or the house you lived in, but the world may be different because the time you spent with a child.
-- Colleen Burns

We don't just live to serve ourselves; at least, we shouldn't. In many ways, we are 'Our Brother's Keeper'. Part of volunteering is for me, selfish, as I have no grandchildren to give love to. Maybe there is a child who would appreciate a hug as much as I do. A long-ago friend showed me the value in doing things for others. She was taught that we must give back, and not just take. If we believe God's Word, we know that this is true. What I am doing is just a 'drop in the bucket'.
-- E. C. Claar

I had a nudge (thank you Pastor Eric) to step up and use my strengths to make a difference for a few boys at Auberle. I started by tutoring, but now I have been blessed to spend time with a young man every week. When I leave there, I feel warmth in my heart and the hope that I can make life a little better for my newfound friend.
-- Carol School

The reason I want to be a volunteer is I have a great love for children. I feel the Lord is leading me in this direction, as I see how many children need this one-on-one relationship. They need someone who cares and wants to share their love with them. God shared His love toward me in giving His Son the Lord Jesus to die for my sins to bring me back to Himself, a greater love hath no man given. I feel in return I want to give love and guidance to a child or children who desperately need to see that someone wants to love them and be their friend, someone they can trust and count on. This is how a child grows up secure enough to become an outstanding citizen able to help others do the same someday.

There is nothing more rewarding than to see a smile of love and gratefulness on a child's face. I feel the need to make this happen in a child's life with God's help. This is why someday soon I would like to be a mentor at this fine place called Auberle.
-- Glenda Roberts

Why I volunteer is quite simple. I believe we all hold a special light inside ourselves that is there to shine and make us special in our own way. Volunteering gives me the great opportunity to share my light as well as help brighten the light of those in need. You truly gain more than you could ever give!
-- Teresa McClay

The reason I volunteer is not only to help local organizations around my community, but mostly I volunteer for the chance to help others. I know that I could possibly make someone’s day a little bit better through little things like playing a game, reading a book or just sitting with them. I don’t volunteer for praise or thanks but to make that person happy.
-- Rachel Lemak

I volunteer because I feel like I am helping make someone else’s life better. It is more fulfilling than working because work is for income and volunteering is for self –importance. Volunteering gives me a sense of other’s reality that I probably would never have witnessed. My free time I use volunteering could be someone else’s needed time to grow and the thought that I helped a stranger grow is PRICELESS!
-- SaRene Smith

I volunteer at Auberle as a way to express my faith and to give meaning to my life, as well as to let the children and teens know that people care about them, share an interest in their lives and to be an encouragement to them.
-- Arlene Vukas

I try to volunteer in order to give back a little...to pay it forward, so to speak. I have been blessed with a good family, good health, and a good career in nursing. I think a big part of the nursing personality is giving, caring, and helping. I have so little spare time with working two or three jobs and going to school to complete my degree, but I really feel the need in my heart to try to do something good for someone else. I know I do not participate as often as other volunteers, but do not mistake that for caring any less. Volunteerism is important to me so I will continue to do what I can. Sometimes the giving occurs in the form of money or products instead of time. I like to at least get involved in the special projects whenever I can. Perhaps some day, I might need some assistance and a volunteer will provide it. Like I said...pay it forward! Make a difference in the lives of others. It is essential for us to help our youth get on the right path in life. Maybe they will see the benefit and continue their own traditions of volunteering! If everyone got involved in volunteering in some capacity, there would be a lot fewer needs and gaps in our society.
-- Sheila Wagner

I wanted 12 children when I was younger (I was a big Cheaper By the Dozen fan), I was blessed with one. Amongst all the wonderful blessings in my life, I was also surrounded by illness in family members, friends and myself. I guess this to was a blessing. I really learned that time is precious. So I try to offer my extra time to help make a difference in any little way. So many people do little things that may change someone's day, and that is what I try to do. Sometimes the world seems dark and ugly but you can see it really isn't when you touch someone's heart. I really do nothing big or grand, I receive back much, much more than I give, but at the end of the day I hope I at least made someone smile. If I did that then you can be sure I'm wearing one also.
-- Sue Weber