Sam’s Story
Hometown: Woodbury, MN
How long have you been volunteering with People Serving People? Since August, 2017
Favorite Book: Cat’s Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut Jr.
Hobbies: Soccer, running, biking, camping, hiking, reading, and playing with dogs.
Favorite Quotation: “Hope is important because it can make the present moment less difficult to bear. If we believe that tomorrow will be better, we can bear a hardship today.” – Thich Nhat Hanh
Favorite PSP Memory: All the different times that kids have asked me to do math (I love teaching math). One girl and I even came up with a new game – Math Hangman.
Why do you volunteer with People Serving People? I volunteer with PSP because being around children gives me life. I really enjoy being a person who can have a lot of fun with kids, but help to further their academics at the same time. All the kids that are at PSP are amazing and never fail to impress me.
Jon’s Story
Hometown: Schofield, WI
How long have you been volunteering with People Serving People? Since March, 2018
Favorite Book: Quiet by Susan Cain. I enjoy this book because it looks at personality traits and how everyone is unique and has gifts to offer society, whether they talk a lot or talk a little.
Hobbies: Ultimate Frisbee, reading, puzzles.
Favorite Quotation: “Be the change you want to see in the world.” – Gandhi
Favorite PSP Memory: A favorite memory I have volunteering at People Serving People is seeing how much people grow each time I come to volunteer.
Mark’s Story
Hometown: Hazleton, PA
How long have you been with People Serving People? Since September 2013
Favorite Book: A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving (Hemmingway’s The Sun also Rises is a close second)
Hobbies: I love to travel and still run 25 miles/week.
Favorite Quotation: “Let us chart our course by the stars and not from the lights on each passing ship.”
Favorite PSP Memory: I have tutored so many great kids I could easily fill a book of great memories. A recent one is I was reading a book with a nine year old which led her to ask me how old I was. I told her I was 66. Immediately her eyes grew wide and she said “Why you don’t look a day over 55!”
Sam’s Story
Hometown: Eau Claire, WI
How long have you been with People Serving People? Since February 2016
Favorite book: Wonder by R.J. Palacio. I highly recommend it to everyone!
Hobbies: I enjoy spending time with my family and friends, running, reading, and writing.
Favorite quotation: “Be somebody who makes everybody feel like a somebody.”
Favorite PSP Memory: I have made many great memories in my time here, but one that especially stands out to me is when I was helping a girl study for an upcoming test. She had a moment where her eyes lit up because she realized she was the one teaching me something new and she finally understood the material. The next week when I saw her she ran up to me right away to give me a big hug and tell me how well she did on the test. It was one of those moments that just filled my heart with happiness.