Volunteer Profiles - Meet Maddy

Maddy is a special kind of fourteen-year-old who chose to spend her summer volunteering in a nonprofit office. When asked her why she wanted to spend her summer volunteering through YouthSERVE Summer Institute, she said she wanted to “do something this summer that is going to make a difference in the community.”

For five weeks, she came to work focused, determined, curious, and committed, donating 44 hours over two months to the Volunteer Center of Santa Cruz County. With the help of another Summer Institute student, Maddy created a video for others to lead their own volunteer project. She bravely interviewed volunteers to write up blog posts that inspired more people to volunteer. Tasked with designing her own volunteer project, Maddy spent hours researching and decided that she wanted to do a project that addressed her concerns about the environment. After meeting with agency partners, Maddy has led us to apply for a grant to pay an artist to create a mural with the help of local youth. Maddy’s mural will promote more sustainable modes of transportation to youth.

Because of Maddy’s commitment to helping her community this summer, Santa Cruz County has the benefit of having a youth voice involved in impactful decision making. The youth in our county have a representative who believes that children and adults should choose sustainable modes of transport. Maddy’s commitment to environmentalism has pushed YouthSERVE to begin a mural project that advocates for these values.

Maddy inspires us because of her maturity for her young age, her commitment to her ideals and her curiosity. When asked what the student-athlete wished to change about our summer program, she said she only wished it was longer. Santa Cruz County is blessed to have a young person like Maddy be a part of its community.