Meet Our Volunteers – Kelly

April is National Volunteer Month. As a playhouse, we would usually send out gifts or cards to each of our volunteers demonstrating how much they mean to us. Sadly, this year COVID-19 has put a halt to such activities. Throughout the month, we will use the Blog to highlight some of our amazing volunteers who are truly #generationG and give their #BestOfAll. 

This year, Kelly is the recipient for our Above and Beyond Award for Outstanding Volunteerism at our Gala. Kelly began her volunteering journey 2 years ago (April 2018). I remember that orientation well, as I was discussing my goal of introducing math 1-1 and GiGiFIT to the Playhouse sometime that year. Kelly spoke to me after and said that she was interested in both the math and the GiGiFIT program, as she was a personal trainer and studied Math at College. She sounded so enthusiastic and I knew we had her hooked! 

From day 1, Kelly was motivated, dedicated and enthusiastic and became a huge part of the playhouse immediately. Kelly volunteered for anything and everything. She became a literacy tutor and helped start the Math pilot. Since 2018, she has volunteered as a Literacy and math tutor, Teen Tastic Program Leader and our GiGiFIT Teen Leader.  

Tutoring in our 1-1 Math program

In November 2018, she joined a group of us at the National Leadership conference in Chicago. Kelly came along to learn more about our brand-new fitness and nutrition program that was to be rolled out. I remember sitting in that room with her as she said, “this is so great; I have found my people”, she loved the program and we eventually rolled it out in Westchester at the beginning of 2019.  

November 2018 – National Conference in Chicago with the GiGiFIT crew!

Kelly inspires and motivates everyone she meets, whether it is through fitness and promoting healthy lifestyles or whether is it her kind and loving nature ensuring that everyone is ok. This March, we were all thrown a curve ball, when the world came to an abrupt halt, programs were suspended, we were mandated to stay at home and events were cancelled or postponed.  

During our first week of being at home, Kelly started to contact her GiGiFIT participants via FaceTime to ensure they were all doing well and to motivate them to continue to exercise and practice their healthy living. We then started to offer virtual programs of Teen Tastic, GiGiFIT TEEN and Friends, Fun and Fitness (our family fitness program) – all of these are led by Kelly. 

Kelly, we are so thankful and appreciative that you walked into our volunteer orientation 2 years ago. Thank you so much for all that you do for GiGi’s Playhouse Westchester. You are truly #GenerationG!

#GenerationG