Volunteer Profiles - Meet Isabella and Anthony

At ages 9 and 10, Anthony and Isabella Cuturrufo had their very first volunteer experience at the Soup Kitchen. This formative experience set the wheels in motion for many years of volunteer adventures for this sibling duo who are now in their sophomore and junior year at Pacific Collegiate School. In February, 2018 they were honored by the Points of Light Foundation with the Daily Point of Light Award for their outstanding service in our community. Learn more about this national award here.

They have become deeply involved with a number of organizations around Santa Cruz County including the Teen Kitchen Project, Santa Cruz Outdoor School, and  Teen Peer Court. For the past 4 years they have played quarterly piano concerts at Aegis Retirement Home which they say is the most enjoyable community service they have ever done. Additionally, for the last several summers they have taken a portion of their summer vacation to participate in the YouthSERVE Summer Institute, a six week long summer internship in which youth are placed with community non-profits. As part of this program, in 2015 Anthony and Isabella both volunteered at the Environmental Science Workshop where they facilitated science projects for children. And last summer, Anthony served as a tech squad member at Digital NEST and Isabella mentored youth at Youth N.O.W.

Most recently for  the holiday season, the Cuturrufo family spent an evening wrapping gifts for families in need with the Volunteer Center’s Adopt a Family project.

“Their eagerness to get involved with a variety of organizations, and their belief in the importance of volunteering as a family is very inspiring,” states YouthServe Coordinator Desiree Farnal.

At only 15 and 16 years old, they have given over 1,000 hours of their time. Over the past six years they have continuously used their passion and talent to serve our community.

Isabella and Anthony make Santa Cruz County better because they understand that in order to make changes in the community and see results, they need to be engaged in the effort. From mentoring young children, to bringing joy to the elderly with music, they have made Santa Cruz County a place of inter-generational inclusion and harmony.