Meet Our Volunteers

This month, we are very excited to introduce you to two of our new volunteers who cannot wait to meet you all! They found our organization through the website Volunteer New York and responded to our posted Volunteer opportunity – we are very thankful that they found us!

Sarah and Lolita attended last month’s National Volunteer Orientation and immediately contacted me to inform me that they were both interested in adult programming. This was great timing as we wanted to relaunch Fantastic Friends virtually to the adult population this year. Feedback from our families highlighted that our community is missing this inspiring and purposeful program.

Sarah was born and raised in Bergen County, New Jersey. She attended Clemson University in South Carolina and earned her Bachelor of Science in Psychology in 2016. She has worked as a Rehabilitation/Community Support Counselor with The Arc of Rockland in Pearl River, New York, and recently earned her Master’s in Mental Health Counseling from Fordham University. She has internship and volunteer experience working with nonprofits, hospitals, outpatient facilities, and crisis hotlines. She currently works for a small Law Firm providing support for many kinds of legal matters.

Sarah enjoys video games, singing along to Broadway musicals, spending time with her pets, roller skating, skateboarding, and swimming in her free time. She is so excited to be a part of GiGi’s Playhouse and can’t wait to get to know and make memories with everyone.

Lolita is self-employed as a Medico-Social Coding Consultant, and after spending many years traveling to New York to work with her various clients, she fell in love with the River towns. So, in 2015 she started a new chapter in her life and relocated to Sleepy Hollow, NY.

Lolita holds a BS in Health Records Administration from Temple University and an MSHS in Clinical Research Administration from George Washington University.  She also completed a Graduate Certificate Program in Healthcare Data Analytics at the University of South Florida.

Now that her two children are grown; Lolita is spending more time volunteering in her church and the community.  In 2017, she became a volunteer member of Compeer in Poughkeepsie, where adults with behavioral health challenges and community volunteers participate in various outings and activities.  In 2020, in response to the glaring inequities in health care, Lolita and a colleague co-founded a non-profit organization called Population Health Analytics Association Incorporated, to help reduce the various social determinants of health – such as food and housing insecurity – that adversely impact the health of people across America.  In 2021, Lolita joined the New York City Chapter of the Poor People’s Campaign, a national anti-poverty organization.

Lolita enjoys taking weekend getaways, decorating, watching football, golf, and tennis, and walking along the riverfront with her dog Leo.

Lolita and Sarah cannot wait to get to know our wonderful adults and make fantastic memories. In the next two weeks, they will be contacting you to get to know you, ask what your interests are, and what types of activities you would like to share with your friends during our programs. They will also be able to assist you on how to access our virtual platform if required.

Join us for our first Virtual Fantastic Friends Program scheduled for March 17th – we cannot wait to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with you! Register here.