Group volunteer efforts are a fun and rewarding way for different groups to get involved with Hubbard House. This summer, the Medtronic Women’s Network (MWN) of Jacksonville held an ice cream social for the children in the Hubbard House Emergency Shelter. In addition to treating them to ice cream sundaes, Medtronic professionals also organized games and prizes for the children.
“Seeing their smiles and enthusiasm was a great feeling. The Marshmallow game was one of the highlights!” said Diane Aballa and Jessica Carter, the MWN Community Involvement co-chairs.
Hubbard House is truly thankful to be Medtronic Women’s Network’s 2013-2014 community partner in Jacksonville. The party was a huge success with the kids, and afterwards, Diane and Jessica talked about their group’s involvement:
How did your group get involved with Hubbard House, and why did you choose to give your time to the organization?
MWN’s mission includes making a difference in the Jacksonville community. Medtronic has supported Hubbard House for the past several years. The leadership of MWN chose the Hubbard House as their community partner for 2013-2014 because of the great work Hubbard House does in positively impacting the lives of women and their families.
What was the most memorable experience from your group volunteer effort?
Seeing the enthusiasm and smiles on the faces of the children as they indulged in ice cream sundaes and the various games we played was very memorable. The highlight game was the “Marshmallow” game. Kids and parents were placed into three separate teams. The objective of the game was to create the tallest free standing structure in 18 minutes, using just a few pieces of uncooked spaghetti, three feet of masking tape, and one large marshmallow for the structure’s topping. Both parents and kids enjoyed the activity – it was evident in their competitive edge when creating their structure! The activity allowed each individual to enhance their team building and analytical skills.
How do the members of your group use their talents in volunteering?
MWN consists of women in Medtronic who come from multiple disciplines in the organization – Project Management, Sales, Customer Service, Operations, Research & Development, etc. We want to utilize our skillset used in the workplace and our everyday lives, to help others in the community. We all have a common mission to promote life-long well being, development, inclusion, advancement, and value of women – missions we want to share when we volunteer for any community event.
What has your volunteering experience meant to your group?
Our volunteer experience gives MWN a sense of pride and accomplishment. We’ve come together from different career paths and walks in life to accomplish a common goal – giving back to our community partner, Hubbard House. The joy we saw from the children’s faces during the ice cream social gave us a heartfelt and meaningful experience.
If you are interested in doing a group volunteer effort with your friends, co-workers, or church members, please visit the Hubbard House volunteer page to fill out and submit an application.
If you or someone you know is affected by domestic/dating violence please call the Hubbard House 24-hour domestic violence hotline at (904) 354-3114 or (800) 500-1119. Hubbard House can help.
ABOUT HUBBARD HOUSE: Founded in 1976, Hubbard House is a certified, comprehensive domestic violence center providing programs and services to more than 5,000 women, children and men annually in Duval and Baker counties. While Hubbard House is most known for its emergency shelter, the agency also provides extensive adult and youth outreach services, school-based education, therapeutic child care, batterers’ intervention programs, court advocacy and volunteer and community education opportunities. Visit www.hubbardhouse.org to learn more.
Written by Allison Beattie