Volunteer Spotlight: Sally Marquis!

Our volunteer spotlight for this month is none other than Sally Marquis!

Sally has dedicated hundreds, if not thousands, of hours to support the Hugs and Mugs professional internships and develop the program into what it has become today. Sally is more than an amazing volunteer- she is the backbone of Hugs and Mugs and an inspiration and leader to our interns.  

Always patient, Sally knows when to encourage and when to challenge our adults to push just a bit more in order to achieve their goals. She is patient, firm, and loving while she helps them earn their certifications so that they can reach their full potential and become employable in our community. If she is not revising and revamping already existing aspects of the program, she is bringing her own new ideas to improve the experience for the interns.

Sally encompasses the values of GiGi’s and is a gift to our playhouse. The interns look up to Sally as a supervisor, mentor, and friend. Sally has a son, Daniel, who participates in the Hugs and Mugs Program too. We truly appreciate Sally’s dedication and service to the Hoffman Estates Playhouse. You mean so much to us Sally. Thank you! 

Farzin, one of our GiGi Professionals, had the honor of interviewing Sally and here’s how it went:

Farzin (F): What is your connection to GiGi’s Playhouse?  

Sally (S): Well, my son Daniel, who is 28 now, started coming about 4 years ago and so that’s how I got interested in GiGi’s Playhouse. And then when I was free, I volunteered. So Daniel started before I did.  

F: How long have you been a volunteer at the playhouse?  

S: Well, that’s a tough one. I think I started in the summer, a little over a year ago.  

F: Tell me about your job here?  

S: My job here is to help Michael [Scott] as much as possible, so he can get his work done. So, I work with the interns and we work on training so that they can learn their jobs fully so that hopefully they can get a job out in the community.  

F: What inspired you to volunteer?  

S: What inspires me was hearing Nancy [Gianni] speak and sometimes when I get tired and I hear Nancy speak again it inspires me to keep on going. 

F: What makes you happy at GiGi’s Playhouse?  

S: What makes me happy is when I’ve taught someone something and then they can do it on their own.

F: What is your biggest goal right now?  

S: My biggest goal now is to make sure everyone gets all their certifications done, so that they can all get jobs in the community if they want them. 

F: Tell me about yourself.  

S: Well, I’m 61 and my first job was answering phones. In high school, I learned how to become a preschool teacher, so I did that next. And then I worked in the retail business and then as an office administrator for 12 years. I’ve done a variety of jobs, so I guess it helped me here too! [laughs] 

F: What type of music do you like?  

S: I think I like pop rock.  

F: Do you have a hobby outside of the playhouse?  

S: Well, I like to read…but I haven’t been reading lately. [laughs] But my favorite hobby is to read.  

Next time you’re in Hugs and Mugs, make sure to say hi and give a smile to Sally!