Volunteer Profiles - Meet Jenna

What if you could give women the gift of feeling safe? What if you could help them come out of isolation and move forward?

This is exactly what Jenna a volunteer Intake Advocate and Support Group Facilitator for Walnut Avenue Women’s Center does on a weekly basis in her work to support  women who have experienced Domestic Violence.

As Jenna takes on the crucial task  of listening, she has the opportunity to see first hand how empowering it is for a woman to feel like she has been heard. Many women who meet Jenna feel like suddenly there is light flooding under the crack of a locked door… there is a glimmer of hope.

When asked what motivates her to give her time to this work, Jenna states simply, “I have always had a passion for helping others” and then focuses her words towards a gratitude for Walnut Avenue Women’s Center.

“Walnut Avenue Women’s Center is an amazing organization that is strength-based and family oriented. The staff are very welcoming and the volunteer programs are unique. I enjoy coming to the center to work with and learn from all the staff. The training and experiences that I have had here will be used continuously throughout the rest of my life.”

Jenna hails from Chicago and came to Santa Cruz to further her studies at UCSC. She is currently working towards her Bachelor’s Degree and studying Sociology and Community Studies. Volunteering at Walnut Avenue provides her with an opportunity to bring her studies to life in a concrete and meaningful way.

For many  volunteers this passion for the organization they work for and their belief in the mission are primary motivators for their continued effort.

Often the first question asked by Volunteer Match-Makers at the Volunteer Center  when interviewing a community member about their prospective interests is “What are you passionate about ?”

“Each of us is driven to a cause- be it women’s issues, education or the environment. By helping individuals tap into their passion we are able to find them a home for volunteering that feels valid and right”, states Volunteer Mobilization Coordinator Christina Thurston.