"A Place Where Change Can Happen"
Staff Spotlight: Amanda Blakemore, Volunteer Manager
During National Volunteer Month, we would like to give a special thank you to our incredible family of volunteers. Without all of you, we would not be able to offer all the resources and services that we offer to our residents here at the Mission. By volunteering at City Mission, you are helping to transform lives.
Today, if you haven’t already met our new-ish Volunteer Manager, Amanda Blakemore, I would like to introduce you to her. She started at City Mission last October and has successfully navigated through her first Thanksgiving, Christmas, Sweet Sunday, and Easter volunteer seasons. Amanda has proven to be a great asset to our team. She is friendly and compassionate and warm. She communicates clearly and empathetically, and she works extremely hard.
"Amanda is a former teacher and brings a great deal of creativity to the volunteer department," said Jason Johnson, City Mission's Director of Supportive Services and Amanda's direct supervisor. "She has a lot of new ideas she'll be bringing to the Mission. She also has a real heart for the Lord and for people, and she wears her heart on her sleeve. She's a kind and compassionate person who truly cares about people, and the residents and volunteers feel the love and compassion that she possesses for them."
Here are some fun facts to help you get to know her a little bit better…
1. Before coming to City Mission, Amanda’s favorite job was as a music teacher in an elementary school. She did that for 10 years. And occasionally, she shares her musical talents with us here at City Mission by singing in our chapel worship services.
2. She listens to all kinds of different music, but Lauren Daigle is one of favorite musical artists.
3. Her favorite food is crab legs…or maybe sushi.
4. Her best vacation was a solo trip to Sedona, AZ and the Grand Canyon. She explained, “Just quiet time with God in the beautiful and vast wilderness.”
5. Her dad, Taylor, was a fighter pilot in the Navy and an Ironman triathlete into his sixties. When Amanda was little, she traveled all over the country for triathlons and other long-distance events.
Here’s what Amanda had to stay about City Mission…
“My favorite thing about City Mission is the people -- staff, residents, and volunteers. I have never been at a place where I experience so much love, and I know that Jesus is working here.”
“I think the thing that surprised me most about City Mission was just the size and extent of the operations here. I did not expect a homeless shelter to be such a big, beautiful campus. I was also surprised by how much City Mission offers the residents that live here. It is truly a place where change can happen, because people are given the tools and support they need to succeed and return to independent living.”