Photos courtesy of Armitage family
Sometimes it’s hard to keep priorities straight, especially in junior high. Katherine Armitage proves there’s always time to volunteer, no matter your age. The 12-year-old Wellington School student found time to sign up to spend a week of her summer break volunteering with the iCare...iServe...iLead Youth Leadership Program.
iCare…iServe…iLead
This Dublin Chamber of Commerce program invites young adults entering grades six through eight to volunteer at local Dublin charities to prepare them to be an exceptional generation of leaders in the community. Students learn leadership skills, team building, self-respect and more.
Armitage attended Wyandot Elementary School in Dublin, which is where her passion for the community was born.
“We helped a lot of local places including the Welcome Warehouse, Goodwill and The GRAND,” Armitage says of her time in iCare…iServe…iLead. “We also did some team building exercises at Camp Mary Orton and learned about the food pantry and old Historic Dublin.”
Each day, the group visited a different charity. Whether Armitage was working with adults with disabilities at Goodwill or encouraging senior citizens to get moving at The GRAND, she soaked in every second.
Armitage describes a good leader as “not just somebody that takes charge in a situation, but learns with the group and is not afraid to make mistakes.”
During her time at the Welcome Warehouse, an organization that supports Dublin community members in need, the group was tasked with organizing donated supplies. She had to step up as a leader or the supplies would get disorganized.
As young as she may be, Armitage understands the importance of volunteering. She notes that people benefiting from service are just as hard-working as all community members, they just need a little extra support.
Armitage continues to make time for volunteering, working at the Dublin Food Pantry whenever she can. She’s been busy with the partnership between the pantry and Heartland Produce, organizing and moving fresh fruits and vegetables for the community.
At just 12 years old, Armitage is already a role model exemplifying what it means to be an active community member. Take a page out of her book and contact the Dublin Chamber of Commerce for volunteer opportunities, because we should allCare, allServe and allLead.
Dublin Volunteer Organizations
Dublin Food Pantry – www.dublinfoodpantry.org
Friendship Village of Dublin – www.fvdublin.org
The GRAND of Dublin – www.grandofdublin.com
Nature Conservancy – www.nature.org
Columbus Humane – www.columbushumane.org
Goodwill – www.goodwillcolumbus.org
Red Cross – www.redcross.org/local/ohio/buckeye
Dress for Success Dublin – www.dressforsuccessdublin.org
Colony Cats – www.colonycats.org
Jess Badinghaus is a contributing writer. Feedback welcome at feedback@cityscenemediagroup.com.
