Recently, I was sitting at a meeting with fellow KCYP Board Members, and we were discussing what we could do to better engage with our membership, and what could bring them the most value. In doing so, we were reviewing notes from the last New Member Orientation and identified one recurring theme; not just from that session but something we’ve heard repeatedly when asking why someone joined KCYP.

“I want to get more involved.”

So, we gave that statement some thought and came up with lots of great ideas (more to come on that in the future). But in the meantime, it prompted me to think about how this simple sentence once applied to me and how KCYP gave me that avenue to be “more involved.” I’ll just say, you get more than you give.

Here’s my backstory: I joined KCYP back in January of 2019 with this exact goal in mind. You can learn more about my history with KCYP by reading my previous blog entry titled “Why I joined KCYP (and you should too!)” In any case, this was my start to getting involved in this community.

One important thing to consider as I tell this story is that it didn’t happen overnight. I started by attending KCYP events and getting to know fellow members. From there, I learned many had their own unique interests and “go-to” organizations that they supported. Often, these orgs would be guest speakers at events and would share their own opportunities for involvement. When something stuck out to me, I’d sign up to test the waters and see if it was something I’d want to commit to. Ultimately, I felt empowered to seek out opportunities on my own, and I felt confident in doing so because of my involvement with KCYP.

Eventually, I joined the board of directors and took my involvement to the next level. As a board, we set a goal for philanthropy and volunteerism, so again, I set out to make connections on my own and bring them back to KCYP; I was at a point where I felt a personal mission to bring these opportunities to our members because I knew they wanted similar things that I wanted.

As time went on, my confidence level grew and being “involved” felt natural to me. In the three and a half years since joining KCYP, I’ve worked with several non-profits in the area; helping plan events, spreading awareness, volunteering a few hours, and donating goods. I’m at the point now where I can’t imagine what my life would be like if I didn’t take these steps to get out and make a name for myself in the volunteer world.

Now I understand that everyone’s path is different and that what worked for me might not work for others. So, I’m pleased to talk about our upcoming event- the KCYP 2022 Volunteer Fair! This event has been a passion project of mine over the past several months, and after a two-plus-year hiatus, I’m excited that it is coming back. We are bringing together several of the area’s non-profit organizations under one roof for three hours, with the primary goal of bringing volunteers to them. This is your chance as a member of our community to get face to face with these organizations and ask that burning question of “How can I get involved?”

Come for the non-profits, and stay for a drink at our social, sponsored by Revolution Mortgage and served by Liveforblu Gallery and Wine Bar. I assure you this will be an event you do not want to miss. It’ll set you up for a great future in volunteerism.

The Volunteer Fair is scheduled for Thursday, May 19^th at Archwood Hall in Coeur d’Alene. For more details, visit www.kcyp.org/events

If you’re a non-profit and would like to reserve a table at the fair, contact me by sending an email to secretary@kcyp.info

On behalf of everyone at KCYP, we are looking forward to seeing you there!

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Shane Solorza has been a KCYP Member since 2019 and has served on the board since Jan 2020. By day, he is a Project Manager for Amazon.com Workforce Staffing supporting Marketing Experiments. Strike up a conversation with him talking about your dogs, his dog Aspen, or your favorite coffee shop!