Volunteer Spotlight: Shannon Thompson
August 8th, 2010 | Volunteers
By James Kwee
Shannon Thompson, a Cheerful Givers board member, first discovered the organization in 2008 when she came across an ad seeking board members. It successfully piqued her curiosity, and she took it upon herself to learn more about the charity. “I had been interested in getting more consistently involved in volunteering, and this seemed like a great opportunity to share some of my skills on behalf of an organization that was doing meaningful work,” explains Shannon. Not too long after, she joined the board.
“I love the simple and straightforward mission and the focus on fulfilling one specific need – birthday gifts for families who are struggling and cannot afford gifts for their children. I like the many ways people can give their time to Cheerful Givers – whether it is by filling bags with family or friends for a local food shelf, volunteering at an event, or joining the birthday club,” says Shannon.
As a board member, Shannon’s volunteer duties include revising bylaws, working on policies, strategizing on ways that Cheerful Givers can expand its outreach, as well as filling birthday bags at blitzes. She’s also worked with her company, Ewald Consulting, to host a birthday bag event, as well as filling gift bags at a birthday party for one of her children and she contributes to the organization financially.
“I hope to contribute in a variety of ways including keeping the focus on growing the number of families we are able to assist until we are meeting every need in Minnesota,” elaborates Shannon on the future of her volunteer work with Cheerful Givers. In her spare time, Shannon enjoys spending time with her three children and husband, as well as reading, running, biking, and traveling.
“I am really impressed with the work that Karen Kitchel does as well as all of the volunteers who give so much time and energy to make a difference in the lives of families who are struggling. Cheerful Givers is a small but effective organization that I am proud to be affiliated with,” says Shannon.
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