From the Volunteer Office
Dear Valued Volunteers,
A heartfelt THANK YOU to all of our incredible volunteers and interns!
As April — National Volunteer Appreciation Month — comes to a close, we want to express our deepest gratitude for your time, passion, and dedication.
We hope you enjoyed this past month’s Volunteer Appreciation Newsletter and our special social media takeover, where we proudly spotlighted a volunteer from each of our programs.
Missed the posts? You can still view them on our [Instagram] or [Facebook] pages!
Your commitment makes our mission possible, and your impact is felt throughout the community. From all of us — thank you for serving your neighbors in need!
What's Inside this Month's Report:
- April's Birthdays and Volunteer Anniversaries
- Your Impact... in hours!
- Volunteer Shout Outs
- Agency News — Jessica's Departure
- Galaxy Reminders/Help
- Photo Gallery
“I discovered the importance of the non-verbal aspect of relationships. As I read the same book with Mike over and over, witnessing the joy it brought him, I came to realize that it wasn't about the book itself; it was about my presence — that he had someone to share his joy with.” —Thomas, ADC Volunteer
Shout out to Mary! 🎉 You truly went above and beyond to help your learner get signed up for free monthly food box! Your dedication and effort make all the difference!
Your Impact in Hours
April Volunteer Hours
This past month, 130 volunteers contributed 1,300.96 hours!
The Impact during April on Our Neighbors in Need
Refugee and Immigration Services Volunteer Impact
- There are 27 citizenship learners being served and 65 English language learners being served.
- Our YouTube channel has 30 new videos (in 10 different languages) with 28.2K views, and 384 new subscribers thanks our translations volunteers who help make this possible.
- Catholic Charities RIS staff presented our YouTube channel to the Our City of Nations Refugee & Immigrant Health conference on April 23 to participants from across the state of Wisconsin.
- Zetho also presented at Our City of Nations Refugee & Immigrant Health and moderated the session on “Inspiring stories of refugees reaching success." Barwaqo also presented while Claire moderated. A heartfelt thank you to our dedicated tutors, whose support enables our staff to expand our services.
- The State Refugee Health Coordinator shared our YouTube channel at a national meeting for refugee health service providers, and the response was immediate about how valuable these resources are. Thank you to our translations volunteers!
- Lastly, Claire and Harun gave a joint presentation on the recent solar panel scam at the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection's recent agency conference, as well as at the MPS Refugee and Immigrant Resource Fair.
Adult Day Center Volunteer Impact
- Impacting 17 members!
- A big thank you to our seminarian volunteers whose time with us is coming to an end. The connections made with our members has made a lasting impact. One member added an additional day to his schedule because he enjoyed a conversation with one of our seminarians so much! Thank you!
Hoarding Support Volunteer Impact
- Three clients are receiving additional support from our volunteers.
- Volunteers helped wash dishes, move furniture away from the heater for the client's safety, helped organize small items, and cleared space in the living room, removing fall hazards.
- All clients report that they greatly look forward to their visits with volunteers and feel safe and respected to receive support for them.
Total Volunteer Hours for 2025 to Date
5,342.08 volunteer hours!
We're on track to grow our volunteer hours and programs by 10% this year! Way to go! Thank you everyone for helping us expand our services!
Agency News!
A Grateful Goodbye to Jessica Brandt, Parish and Volunteer Coordination
After 8.5 years of dedicated service, we wish to share that Jessica Brandt will be leaving Catholic Charities. Her last day with us will be Thursday, May 9th.
Jessica has been an integral part of our organization — many of our long-time volunteers will remember her as the driving force behind the creation of our volunteer program. Her leadership helped lay the foundation for so many of the opportunities we offer today.
In addition to her work with volunteers, Jessica played a key role in coordinating our Lenten Luncheons alongside our Advancement team, bringing our community together to celebrate service. More recently, she has focused on building parish partnerships, helping to expand our outreach and services to neighbors in need across the ten counties of southeastern Wisconsin.
Jessica's compassion, commitment, and tireless work have left a lasting legacy at Catholic Charities. While we are sad to see her go, we are grateful for everything she has contributed— and we know she will continue to bring light to those around her in her next chapter.
Please join us in thanking Jessica for her years of service and wishing her all the very best!
How to Record your hours in Galaxy Digital
Link to Our Volunteer Portal: www.volunteer.ccmke.org
Click on the button below to watch a video on how to log your volunteer hours:
Common Question 1.) How do I view the hours I've already logged?
To review any volunteer hours you've already logged, log onto your account and make sure you are on your DASHBOARD page (top left corner tool bar). It should be yellow. If not, click on it. Then you should see the page below. Click on the yellow stop clock that says VOLUNTEER HOURS.
You will then see a page like this below. It will have all of your hours that you've ever completed listed.
Common Question 2.) I accidently logged hours on the wrong date. Is there a way I can correct that?
First, you will need to delete the hours that were logged incorrectly. Log onto your account and go to your hours page. It should look like this:
Then, you will select which hours you wish to delete. Click on the left white box next to the date of the incorrect hours.
Lastly, you will then click on the trash icon under the header "Volunteer Hours" to delete.
Now you can re-log your hours. See the top video if you need a refresher on how to log your hours.
Common Question 3.) I can't log onto the portal. What should I do? Should I create a new account?
If you cannot log onto the portal, please do not create a new account. Please email volunteer@ccmke.org for assistance. I will send you your username and a new password to get you logged in.
Have a success story big or small that you would like to share? We would LOVE to hear it!
We invite and encourage volunteers in all roles to share your story with us! It is a great way to encourage prospective volunteers to join us.
Photo Gallery
THANK YOU!
Credits:
Created with images by Kristina - "A beautifully decorated Easter cake featuring pastel colors, floral designs, and chocolate eggs, set on a festive table, perfect for celebrating the holiday." • NataliPro - "A pair of hands holding a heart-shaped basket filled with decorated Easter eggs." • Natalia Klenova - "Easter composition on grey concrete backgrount"