By Liz Waesche

“The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others”– Mahatma Gandhi

As I enter my third (and most likely last) year of AmeriCorps, I can’t help but think how true those words really are and how excited I am to spend the next ten month as the AmeriCorps PNA Village Volunteer Coordinator.

I am a Seattle native who grew up on Mercer Island before leaving for the high plains of Laramie, Wyoming. While completing my Bachelor’s degree in English and Psychology at the University of Wyoming, I participated in my first year of AmeriCorps by coordinating a student-run peer education group that educated students about alcohol abuse and interpersonal violence. Following graduation, I packed up and moved back to Seattle where I became the AmeriCorps VISTA Volunteer Coordinator at 501 Commons, a capacity building nonprofit in Lower Queen Anne. I am also a volunteer myself; I am a volunteer board member for a horse rescue and rehabilitation nonprofit in Snoqualmie. These three experiences have instilled in me a love of volunteerism and volunteering, leading to my career interests of volunteer coordination/management for nonprofits.

This is my first experience working with a village, and to be honest, my first experience hearing and learning about a village, but I am now completely sold on the idea. The members and volunteers that I have met so far have been inspirational, warm, and generous, and I am looking forward to getting to know all the Village members and volunteers.

Feel free to give me a call at 206.789.1217 or send me an email at lizw@phinneycenter.org.

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