JANUARY 28, 2010 ISSUE
Plug In To What You Love
Live United Volunteer Spotlight—Mary Jo Grubbs of High Country Women’s Fund
Mary Jo Grubbs of the High Country Women’s Fund is passionate about helping local women financially and emotionally, and encouraged community members to volunteer with an organization or cause they find meaningful. Photo by Corinne SaundersEditor’s Note: High Country Press is supporting High Country United Way’s Live United campaign by spotlighting volunteers in our community. For the duration of the series, volunteers come into our office, pick up their Live United T-shirt and tell High Country Press their views on volunteerism and what they contribute to the community while encouraging others to make a local impact, as well. This week, we focus on Mary Jo Grubbs of the High Country Women’s Fund, which is an agency/initiative of High Country United Way.
Mary Jo Grubbs, 2010 community outreach chair of the High Country Women’s Fund, has found herself involved in projects perfectly aligned with her passion over the past few years, she said.
As a sociology major at a college in New England, Grubbs aspired to be a social worker so she could help “a lot of people,” she said, but instead, ended up doing corporate work for 25 years.
“I moved so far away from my real passion,” Grubbs said. “Almost 30 years later, I’m doing exactly what I wanted to do since the beginning.”
Grubbs moved permanently to the High Country in 2004 and got involved with the High Country Women’s Fund (HCWF) three years ago, after hearing a speaker at the annual fundraising POP (Power of the Purse) luncheon.
“I heard a woman speak, and I really felt that’s where I wanted to put my efforts and where I really needed to get involved in the community,” she said.
The HCWF, an initiative of High Country United Way, distributed $61,000 last year to area agencies that benefit women and other partner groups, such as the financial aid office at Caldwell Community College, Grubbs said.
“Last year, my job was to give out funding to agencies,” she said.
While the money helps and is necessary, Grubbs explained that she saw what she considered a more pressing need—to connect on a more personal level with women, mentor them and let them know that people in the community support them.
“We’ve put together a mentoring community program,” Grubbs said, explaining that her idea involved “women who are looking forward to connect and move forward in their journey” getting to spend time with other women—volunteers who are their peers.
The community outreach events are a great opportunity for all involved and now take place four times a year—once a season, she said.
Grubbs was also instrumental in organizing interagency meetings once a month to bring together all the area groups that support women’s concerns, she said.
The meetings started three years ago, and “I really think it’s making a difference,” she said, explaining that prior to the meetings, all the agencies “were working independently and not coming together.”
Now, the organizations are more familiar with each of their respective needs and successes, Grubbs said, adding that they can also more effectively direct women from one program to another, depending on the needs of each woman at a particular time in her life.
Grubbs is also passionate about getting others involved in helping local women “who are soloing [and] working toward realizing their goals and dreams,” she said.
“I get mothers and daughters involved in service projects,” Grubbs said.
Her daughter, a senior at Watauga High School, is no exception; she is currently an intern with the HCWF.
The exposure for the younger generation to the “diversity of the community” is very important, Grubbs said, explaining that the daughters could draw from these experiences, especially if they eventually find themselves on the town council or involved with a nonprofit, local government or other influential positions.
In regards to volunteerism, “the most important thing is to find out what you love,” she said, adding that a person’s passion could be from their youth or from “a really long time ago.”
“You’ll only keep up your volunteer efforts if it’s something you’re passionate about,” Grubbs said. “This is a great community. It’s very easy to plug in, [and] I think every one of us has an obligation to give back.”
The United Way has a brochure of all its funded partner agencies, and through the numerous local agencies, as well as through the HCWF, community members can get involved in a variety of ways—from connecting directly with children, women or the elderly through various programs, to participating in food drives, clothing drives and other events, Grubbs said.
By giving of your time and energy to causes and to populations you care about, “you will find a much more rewarding life,” Grubbs said.
For more information about the HCWF, click to www.highcountrywomensfund.org or call 828-264-4007.
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