What was your experience working on a Taproot Foundation project?

A: My experience working on the Service Grant was one of the most rewarding ventures I have been involved with. The quality of people on the team was exceptional. Everyone was extremely professional and got along really well, and it felt great to pull together so many unique talents for a common cause. Our nonprofit client was The Teen Living Program, and our goal was to produce a website that would both inform and drive monetary donations to help Teen Living, a program that helps teens who are homeless find a safe haven where they can learn skills for the future and live in a healthy environment. The staff at Teen Living were very helpful and appreciative of our efforts and final solution.

How have you grown from your pro bono experience?

I feel I have grown through having the opportunity to give of myself without expecting anything in return. The youth were so charged up about the photo shoots, and learned a bit about photography through helping to set up and execute the shoots. There is no better payment than the personal satisfaction of seeing someone learn or feeling that you may have made a difference in another person’s life, especially a life that has had more than its fair share of hard knocks.

What were the biggest challenges in your projects?

The only challenge for my role was trying to make the youth feel comfortable in front on the camera at times. It can be hard to converse with some of the kids, because while you want to get an emotional image, it’s important to not cross any boundaries. Most of the kids were open, and having them help in the shoot made them more comfortable. As far as the project itself, it was challenging to determine how to realize the client’s goals, and how to execute them through images and copy. In the end, both our team and the client were really happy with the outcome.

How do you think the business community and nonprofit sector can strengthen one another?

I think that the business community needs to better understand the needs of the nonprofit sector. If I hadn’t found the Taproot Foundation on the web, I would have never known about Teen Living. Being able to help someone is so rewarding, and you need to give of yourself to really know how valuable you really are.

What community issues are most important to you and what did you learn from the project?

Teen homelessness is something I knew nothing about until I worked with the Teen Living Project. Separate from DCFS, these kids literally are on the street and have no direction or home to go to. This issue involves teens who are gay, straight, black, white, etc. It has no boundaries. During this project, I learned that there are a few agencies addressing this issue, but additional resources are desperately needed.

Other than volunteering with the Taproot Foundation, what do you like to do in your free time?

Being self-employed, I work a lot. As far as my free time, I am an avid traveler and like all outdoor activities, including camping, biking, and working in the yard. In terms of other volunteering, I work at the adult homeless shelters around the holidays. Because I like to cook, I have made a point to cook for the homeless on Thanksgiving and Christmas. I have also been talking to Teen Living about continuing to volunteer with them, and perhaps joining their board.