Volunteer Follows Her Passion

By Julia Largent Kuttler

I moved to Newton with my husband at the end of December 2020. At that point we knew a few people in town, but not many. One day, I found the Peace Connections Facebook page and gave it a follow. I eventually worked up the nerve to submit a volunteer application and quickly met with Jennifer Rose, the director at the time, and began my involvement with this great group of folks who are passionate about building community. Since I love planning events, the natural fit was to add me to the Events Committee - on which I still serve.

As a professor at McPherson College, I have the summers off, so I also began volunteering to help serve the meals for SEAK (Summer Enrichment Activities for Kids), and I’ve been a part of that program since 2022. This year, I was encouraged to step up my responsibility with SEAK, and I applied to serve as the AmeriCorps Coordinator for the 2025 program year, a position which coordinates the meals and activities throughout the summer months. Unfortunately, the federal funding mechanism for the position was cut before the program even began.   However, I wasn’t interested in the position for the stipend, my motivation to serve in that role was simply because it is a cause I strongly believe in - making sure every child has a healthy meal during the summer. With much adjustment from my family, I once again joined the SEAK team in my new, expanded role, and had another great summer, meeting new folks, watching all the activity presenters, and knowing I did my part to help feed kids over the summer.  In my time volunteering with Peace Connections, I have enjoyed getting to know and work with all the great people there. I love seeing how the programs and fundraisers I help plan directly impact those in our community. Volunteering is one of the best things a person can do, and I’m so happy to volunteer with Peace Connections. I encourage you to check out the website and social media pages for other upcoming opportunities to connect.