March's Volunteer Spotlight

The St. Monica Academy School Board recognizes that so many of the events that are run through our school and our parish are successful because of those who volunteer their time to make them happen.  Each month, the School Board will shine a spotlight on a randomly selected volunteer to share their story and spread the message that volunteering is done by all of us in many ways!

March’s Volunteer Spotlight is on Lorena Martinez

March's Volunteer Spotlight is on Lorena MartinezLorena Martinez is an SMA parent and the 7^th grade boy’s assistant volleyball coach.

We recently reached out to Lorena to learn more about her and how she incorporates volunteering into her busy schedule.

VS:  Hi, Lorena! Thanks so much for agreeing to be our March Volunteer Spotlight!  And thank you for taking the time to share your story!  We know how busy you are, particularly as the mom of two active, junior high boys!!!   Can you tell us a little bit about yourself outside of volunteering at St. Monica’s?

Lorena:  Sure thing!  My name is Lorena Martinez and I’ve been an SMA parent for 8 years.  My sons Carlos and Isaac are in 7^th and 8^th grade.  My niece also attends SMA (in 5^th grade) and her father attended SMA too.

VS:  How cool to see how deeply entwined your family is in the SMA community!!!  Connections like that make our larger St. Monica family so vital and strong!  And it’s that personal connection that makes volunteering so important to so many volunteers. Is the family connection your favorite part of volunteering? 

Lorena:  Oh, yes! I just love seeing the boys have so much fun playing volleyball and interacting with one another.  They get along really well and they genuinely enjoy the game.

VS:  That’s fantastic!  And it has to be so nice for your sons to have you play such a big role in their sport!  It’s not easy in this day and age to be so involved in our kids’ lives, so it’s fantastic that you’ve found a way to make that happen!!  What do you find to be the biggest challenge in volunteering?

Lorena:  The biggest challenge is when my boys have games on the same day at different locations.  I have to attend the 7^th grade games so I sometimes miss Isaac’s games.  My mom and my sister help me out a lot with taking Isaac to his games when I can’t.  That’s really the only challenge because I love watching both play and I can’t always be at Isaac’s games.

VS:  That no small sacrifice!!  But I’m sure Carlos and the other boys on the 7^th grade team appreciate the gift of your time!  And providing that example of leadership and being a person involved in your community is so important for all of our kids!  Still making those kids of choices can be hard! So what would you say to someone who's on the fence about volunteering? 

Lorena:  Why not just give it a try?  I really think the kids like having their parents involved and it gives you a chance to get to know all the other students as well.  It’s a good way to spend quality time with your child.

VS: So true, Lorena!  We couldn’t agree more.  So tell us, what will you be volunteering at next? 

Lorena:  I will most likely volunteer for volleyball again next year.  I work full time so I don’t have a lot of free time during the days to volunteer at school but I try when I can. 

VS:  Well between that and planning a graduation this year as well as another Confirmation and graduation next year, it sounds like you’ll have plenty to keep you busy!! Good luck with this busy and exciting time in your life!  Thanks so much for sharing your story and your time with us, Lorena!