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Ellen Bergan was inspired to create her own community resource, the Van-Go Mobile Art Studio, when she joined the Monroe County Youth Council in high school. She applied for and received a grant her junior year to get this project going. Ellen uses her passion to bring art to those who need it by bringing professional grade art supplies to …

Molly Wagschal has been volunteering every Monday to tutor children in a variety of subjects at the Monroe County Public Library’s ‘El Centro Comunal Latino’ outreach programs. The parents of these students are non-native English speakers, who are unfamiliar with the U.S. public school system, and are grateful for native English speakers who volunteer to help their kids with literacy …

Dr. John Labban has volunteered his services through Volunteers in Medicine since they opened in 2007, providing prenatal care for many women in the community who are not U.S. citizens or may not have access to insurance coverage for prenatal and delivery services. Without his compassionate service through the VIM clinic, these women would typically go without care for themselves …

Abbi Surles is one of the inaugural participants in a new volunteer program through Monroe County CASA called Child Visit Monitors (CVM). CVMs make monthly visits to a child or sibling group who have not yet been assigned a Court Appointed Special Advocate, but could still benefit from a volunteer bridge to case workers, ensuring them safety and stability during …

Sue Cull has been a driving force at Teachers Warehouse, a Bloomington-based nonprofit providing free classroom supplies to teachers in numerous Indiana counties. Teachers Warehouse supports equitable and exciting education, creative problem-solving and student engagement, and offers an opportunity for local businesses, organizations, and individuals to donate useful items. As President, Sue is a remarkable visionary, fundraiser, and connector, whose …

Gavin Everett spends hours involved in Commission on Hispanic and Latino Affairs activities, often saying, “just tell me what I can do to help.” The Bloomington community shares a rich and diverse Hispanic and Latino community and the commission works to identify and research the issues that impact this population, especially in areas of health, education, public safety and cultural …

Jim Harvey’s decade-long history of volunteer service at Shalom Community Center has encompassed all facets of center operations – from board governance to fixing leaky toilets. At the core of his contributions is his concern for those suffering from the devastating impacts of poverty. Motivated by his desire for social justice, Jim transferred the skills and abilities that he used …

The support of Bloomington’s growing Latino population has soared with the hard work of Lillian Casillas. Her work for the past sixteen years with El Centro Comunal Latino and the AMIGOS Club has been transformative for Latino families integrating into the Bloomington community. Lillian’s personal experiences allow her to bring both a warm lightheartedness and a grounding understanding to her …

Mona Clay sets the standard for volunteers at Girls Inc. The reliability of volunteers mentoring these girls is incredibly important – for the functionality of the programming and for the strength of the mentoring relationship. Girls know that Mona will be there week after week, and they know that she cares for them. Volunteers who nourish their relationships with the …

Air date: 04/30/2018 Mary DePew’s herculean volunteer efforts at Volunteers In Tutoring Adult Learners (VITAL) have directly impacted nearly 100 English language learners locally. Those new to the U.S. and new to English often have little interaction with the community until they have achieved the ability to communicate. Mary’s many groups allow her students to work toward their personal literacy …