Tuesday, October 29, 2013

Volunteer Spotlight: Niagara Pal

Every summer since 5th grade, Niagara Pal has been volunteering at the Twin Lakes Food Bank in Folsom. Niagara first heard about Hands4Hope at the Twin Lakes Easter Basket event in 2012. This made her curious about other ways for young people to be involved in volunteer work. Niagara went home that day, did a little research on H4H, and found that the organization had a large variety of projects and opportunities that she was interested in.

Today Niagara is an 11th grader at Mira Loma High School.  Her favorite volunteer activity at Hands4Hope so far has been the Kid's Cafe at the Green Valley Community Church. “I really enjoy spending time with kids by helping them in craftwork and playing different games with them,” said Niagara.

Niagara has also volunteered at the Kid's Area during the Fireworks Jubilee, Food Bank Blitz, and several events at the Twin Lakes Food Bank. She is also currently working to build a new Hands4Hope Club at her high school. The Club is planning to organize volunteer projects during this academic year.

“Volunteering at a young age made me realize how much needs to be done to help the world around us. I feel happy to know that by spending just some of my time, I am able to help the food bank support the numerous families it serves each week. Ever since I started, I've found it personally rewarding to volunteer at the various shelters and food banks that need the support. I try to work as much as possible in these areas, in the hope that I'll somehow make a difference in someone's life,” said Niagara.


When Niagara is not attending high school or volunteering for H4H, she really enjoys listening to and playing music to help express her emotions and creativity. She also enjoys practicing martial arts. After getting a brown belt in Bok Fu, Niagara is currently learning Taekwondo.