Volunteer Spotlight – December 2020: Thryn Hare
Our featured volunteer this month is Thryn Hare, who volunteers with the J-Pride Program. Read more about J-Pride here and visit the program’s Facebook page here!
What’s your current volunteer role at JFCS? And in what ways have you volunteered with JFCS in the past?
I volunteer with J-Pride when help is needed! So far I’ve only worked with J-Pride, but as I progress further on my social work bachelor’s degree, I hope to branch out a little bit more and work with JFCS in a greater capacity.
How long have you been volunteering with JFCS?
I believe it’s been a little longer than three years!
What motivated you to volunteer with JFCS?
I am a very out-and-proud non-binary lesbian, and I am a very proud Jew! I love that J-Pride exists as a place to combine these two identities that I care so deeply about. I also love building a community that is both LGBTQ+ and Jewish, and J-Pride provides thoroughly unique opportunities to do so. As a future social worker, I love connecting people to one another and to the resources they need, and J-Pride allows me to both!
Tell us about your volunteer experience with JFCS.
I’ve done a lot of odds and ends to help J-Pride; everything from developing programming, to helping set up and take down events. I have even provided creative writing. I’ve always found the work to be centering, no matter what it is, because it grounds me in myself, in my connection to others, and in my connection to my spirituality. Perhaps my favorite volunteer opportunity was tending the J-Pride booth at the Twin Cities Pride Festival in 2019, when I was able to meet dozens of new people and introduce them to what an amazing organization J-Pride is.
What’s your favorite part about volunteering with JFCS?
As I hinted at in the last question, I love introducing J-Pride to people who want to learn more about it! I love working to make them feel welcomed and appreciated. I love learning more about their unique perspectives and what J-Pride can do to fit their unique needs. It’s exhilarating to see the difference I’m making in such real time.
For more information about becoming a JFCS volunteer, contact Dana Shapiro, Community and Volunteer Engagement Coordinator & Intake Counselor, at dshapiro@jfcsmpls.org or 952-417-2112 or click here.