Volunteer of the Month

August 2010

Cameron Gomez

Congratulations goes to Cameron Gomez, aka “Butter My Biscuits”, volunteer since 2007!

One of our most enthusiastic and witty volunteers, Cameron is not afraid to make a fool of himself while singing about hippos, especially those that have been “eating pumpkin pancakes hot off the griddle”. Cameron is also well known for pulling pranks involving water balloons and his creative rapping skills—all very cool and popular among REACH teens. Cameron is the kind of guy that can connect with a REACH teen within the first ten minutes. He has an incredible heart for our kids and brings an element of comical surprise to the REACH culture.

Please join us in congratulating Cameron, the best person to invite to a party because he is himself an icebreaker!

July 2010

Jenni Jamieson

Our Volunteer of the Month for July is Jenni Jamieson, a.k.a. “Timber”. Jenni started out volunteering for REACH as a camp counselor in 1998. She became a REACH mentor in 2003, and has faithfully been meeting with her two (now teenage!) mentees ever since.

Honoring Jenni is long overdue. She is one of those quiet, behind-the-scenes volunteers that have helped REACH establish a trust connection with our kids and families. In fact, she with her joyful giggle and sparkling eyes has become the poster child for a REACH volunteer—literally, even, as her face is all over our website and other materials! Her favorite campfire song? “Lean On Me”, and when she sings it, she means it. After a full day of providing occupational therapy for kids of all ages, she still faithfully provides a space for her REACH mentees to experience her love and support.

In September, she will be tying the knot to a Brazilian named Nelson. You might find them together kayaking or hiking, all the while Jenni practicing her newfound skill with Portuguese. Hopefully this means a new recruit for REACH Camp! Congratulations to Jenni, who is most likely to be the most constant thread line if REACH were a tapestry!

June 2010

Ellen Ramm (Berwold)

We are proud to introduce you to Ellen Ramm (Berwold), our June 2010 Volunteer of the Month! Ellen, aka "Flipper", is a long-time volunteer. Over the years she has served as a camp counselor, mentor and member of the leadership team for The Zone at Camp.

One of the best words to describe Ellen is “friend.” She’s the kind of solid person that you know you can count on because of her dedication and compassion for things that matter. Some of Ellen’s outstanding qualities are her faithfulness to our kids and families and her deep concern and interest for their well-being and success in life. If you’re looking for Ellen (and you didn’t find her at REACH), you might find her at her church and place of work, Mars Hill Church, or beside her new husband Justin—places where she continues to demonstrate her commitment in meaningful ways. On top of all that, “Flipper” loves to have fun and regularly shows her silly side at Camp paying lost button penalties, acting as Paula Abdul during the REACH Idol talent show and responding to her special dolphin call. She’s someone we wish we had on staff!

So to Ellen, who is most likely to be truly friends with all her "friends" on Facebook!

May 2010

Eric Nicolaysen

This month we give props to Eric Nicolaysen, "E-Roc", volunteer since 2007, when he began mentoring a REACH kid.

One of the best ways we can describe Eric is to talk about his love for things like coffee, cooking and mountain biking. Eric doesn't have a favorite coffee drink—he's simply dedicated to the bean itself. He is full of energy and enthusiasm in a way that would impress even Tigger himself. In addition, Eric has a more serious side: he is creative in his ability to bring unlikely REACH teens together and empower them for a hopeful future, a gift that will only be enhanced by his soon-to-be M.Div from Mars Hill Graduate School. While he can put on a goofy face to lighten the mood, he is just as quick to say something insightful that will inevitably turn into a meaningful conversation. This is how Eric demonstrates his dedication to our REACH kids.

So, to Eric: most likely to herd a thousand sheep with a smile on his face and a spring in his step!

April 2010

Mark Romero

Congratulations go to Mark Romero, one of our few volunteers more commonly known by his camp name “Bones”. Bones has been one of our most faithful supporters since the very beginning—in fact, he was even present during the planning of the first camp when REACH had only $500 to its name!

While throughout the year Bones is busy traveling for his work in the Procurement department at Boeing, he always carves out time over Labor Day weekend for REACH. Bones has served our REACH kids in a variety of different ways, and now assists us as the honorary “Head Rover” at camp since he is a brilliant master planner and knows the ropes so well. Some other things we admire about him are his passion for our kids and his capacity to allow their stories to affect him deeply. It is people like Bones that have been the driving force behind the trust relationship REACH has built with our kids and families over the last 14 years.

So, to Bones—the one most likely be working as an undercover agent to win the hearts of many!

March 2010

Krissy Williams

We would like to introduce you to our March 2010 Volunteer of the Month: Krissy Williams! Krissy has proudly borne the name “Kiki” at camp for the last three years, which hardly says anything to describe her year-round dedication to her REACH mentee and the rest of the REACH Family. She has barely missed any REACH engagement, from Progressive Unit events, to mentor supports, from fundraising events to camp planning meetings for the Teen Zone.

Krissy makes a unique and valuable contribution to REACH that is noteworthy beyond the fact that her sister is a staff member. The first word we might use to describe her is “spicy”, since she livens up a room of people with her enthusiasm and creative energy—a quality she brings to life without the help of a triple tall nonfat white chocolate Americano that she whips up regularly for her Starbucks patrons. When she first started as a REACH mentor we didn’t even notice she wasn’t quite old enough because her character outshines her age! We are proud to have her as a volunteer, and are confident she has much to offer the world when she graduates from Pacific Lutheran University this year with a degree in Social Work.

To Krissy Williams—most likely to provide just the right amount of spice for your chili!