Volunteers In Action
Every day, Families Together is powered by incredible volunteers who bring compassion, creativity, and commitment to our mission of helping children and their families move from homelessness to home. We are highlighting two of them—Mareena and Bridgett—who exemplify what it means to give back in different and equally meaningful ways: one lending her heart and hands to our families, the other sharing her tech expertise to strengthen our work behind the scenes.
Mareena Cox
Mareena Cox comes from a family with a heart for those experiencing homelessness. Between her dad, Matthew, making connections with folks living on the street while working downtown, and her mom, Marcella, serving on the Families Together Board of Directors, Mareena grew up seeing that ending family homelessness is a family mission.
Now eighteen and a high school senior, Mareena has been a core volunteer at Families Together, working with the kids in our program, providing childcare during monthly life skills workshops for parents in the Families Together program.
“Mareena is so patient with the kids every time she attends the workshops,” Stabilization Manager Erin Hill Carter said. “She’s always willing to give a helping hand and support our staff with whatever they need.”
At the first workshop Mareena attended, there was a young girl who was quite shy, and hesitant to engage with any of the staff or volunteers. She found a safe space with Mareena and stayed by her side for the rest of the evening. Families Together staff shared later that the girl had special needs, and they appreciated how comfortable Mareena made her feel.
“It was really touching to become buddies with her,” Mareena said about that young girl.
Since then, Mareena has helped regularly with the family workshops, tabled for Families Together at community events, and attended our family graduation with her parents to celebrate families who were successfully housed and stable for twelve months.
“You have to place yourself in the situation to get involved,” she recommends. “It’s easier than you think. Once you see the impact you can make on others, you want to keep going.”
Bridgett Thompson
When Bridgett Thompson came across Families Together’s post on Activate Good for a SquareSpace expert, she thought, “Wow, this sounds perfect!”
Bridgett balances her technology focused work and volunteer life with her favorite outdoor activities – disc golf and horseback riding.
Bridgett has been in enterprise technology for her whole career and specifically loves to work on websites. Her expertise and technical know-how helped the Families Together team with some significant upgrades and avoid coding issues that could have impacted its work.
“Bridgett has been so wonderful to work with. Not only has she been incredible at helping us upgrade our site and troubleshoot issues, but she’s also passionate about our mission and helping in any way she can,” Communications Coordinator Daniela Herrera said. “Her assistance has been instrumental, especially ahead of our fall fundraising campaign, when our website gets a lot more traffic.”
While she has always looked for ways to give back, Families Together’s mission really touched Bridgett. “I want to be involved and contributing to anything that will support underserved people, especially in today’s climate,” Bridgett shared. “Everyone at Families Together I’ve interacted with has been very passionate and compassionate about the work.”
When asked about any advice she has for others looking to get involved, Bridgett echoed Mareena’s encouragement. “Even if you feel like you might not be as comfortable in the environment or qualified, if you feel like it’s something you’re interested in, go for it. There are always connections you’ll make and doors that will open.”
Inspired by Mareena and Bridgett? You can be part of the change, too. Explore current volunteer opportunities with Families Together on Activate Good or connect with us through our group volunteer inquiry form to make a difference together.