From the Volunteer Office
Dear Valued Volunteers,
Happy summer! 🌞 We’re excited to share with you the highlights of our June Volunteer Impact Report — celebrating all the incredible work you made possible this past month. From milestones reached to lives touched, your dedication continues to inspire and uplift our community in powerful ways.
As always, we’ve included stories, stats, and snapshots of the amazing impact you have —but be sure to read all the way to the end of this month’s report … we’ve got a special personal update to share with you. (Spoiler: it involves tiny socks and maternity leave!)
Thank you for being such an important part of our mission.
What's Inside this Month's Report:
- June's Birthdays and Volunteer Anniversaries
- Your Impact... in Hours!
- Volunteer Shout Outs
- Volunteer Spotlight — Coat Packing Volunteers
- Client Spotlight Story — Asma and Khatol
- Agency News — Going on Maternity Leave and Welcome Desire!
- Galaxy Reminders/Help
- Photo Gallery
"I cannot believe it's already been 1.5 years since I began volunteering at the Adult Day Center. I enjoy going to the center. It's a very rewarding and overall positive experience." — Ellen, ADC Nurse Volunteer
Shout-out to Matthew 25 for returning to the Adult Day Center for their annual yard-cleanup and summer socialization with our members!
Your Impact in Hours
June Volunteer Hours
This past month, 97 volunteers contributed 1,230.13 hours!
The Impact during June 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.
- Your hours enabled Catholic Charities to be awarded a grant from the Medical College of Wisconsin’s "Advancing a Healthier Wisconsin Endowment" (AHW) in which we will partner with the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee School of Nursing to evaluate and expand our existing video education program, which creates culturally appropriate content in multiple languages. Together, we will leverage our expertise to design and disseminate tools that meet the unique needs of refugee and immigrant communities.
- We’re looking for refugee participants to take a survey, watch 3 of our videos, and do a follow-up survey. This can be done in their home during your regular tutoring sessions or at another time. All participants will receive a bag of rice and cooking oil as a thank you. If you think your refugee partner might be interested, let Claire know and we’ll reach out to them.
Adult Day Center Volunteer Impact
- Impacting 17 members!
- Matthew 25 helped tidy-up the ADC's backyard, making it safe and beautiful for our members to enjoy the outdoors during the summer.
- Members launched into summer with a cook-out with the help of our volunteers.
Total Volunteer Hours for 2025 to Date
7,994.04 Hours!
We are halfway through the year and are on track to increase our volunteer hours this year by 10%! A BIG thank you for making it possible to serve more neighbors in need!
Know someone who might be interested in volunteering? Share our volunteer application below:
Volunteer Spotlight!
Warming Hearts for Winter: Volunteers Help Sort 3,000 Coats for Catholic Charities
As the temperatures rise and summer sets in, a group of dedicated volunteers has already set their sights on the colder months ahead. Thanks to the hard work and compassion of Sinestra, Mary, Russ, and our incredible team from IMPACT 211, more than 3,000 winter coats were unpacked, sorted, and stored —ready to keep individuals and families warm when the Wisconsin winter returns.
These coats will be distributed across Catholic Charities' offices throughout the 10 counties of southeastern Wisconsin, ensuring that our neighbors in need have access to essential winter gear when it’s needed most. The sheer volume and organization required for this effort were no small task. We are very grateful for everyone's time, energy, and teamwork to make this possible.
"Thanks to everyone who helped us move the coats to their new location! Because of you, this fall we will be able to give out coats in near perfect condition. It might not seem like much, but just the fact that our clients all over southeastern Wisconsin will be shown dignity through getting a new, clean coat makes that much of a difference. Thank you all!" — Moira (Outreach Case Manager)
Whether it's the middle of a snowstorm or a sunny summer day, our mission is year-round— and it's fueled by people like Sinestra, Mary, Russ, and the IMPACT 211 volunteers. Their commitment today guarantees warmth, dignity, and compassionate care for our neighbors tomorrow.
We extend our deepest gratitude to each of them for their help!
Client Spotlight!
Asma and Khatol Awarded the Milwaukee Changemaker’s Scholarship
This spring, Catholic Charities was invited by the UWM Institute for Systems Change and Sustainable Peacebuilding to nominate two people from refugee/immigrant backgrounds for full-tuition scholarships to UWM for the 2025-2026 school year. We are thrilled that both of our candidates, Asma and Khatol, were selected.
Asma is currently pursuing a Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration and Finance at UW-Milwaukee. When the Taliban took over Afghanistan in August 2021, Asma, her parents, and her three sisters fled the country with little more than the clothes on their backs. After spending several months at Fort McCoy, they resettled in Milwaukee. Asma feels incredibly grateful for this opportunity to continue her education.
Khatol, our other selected recipient, describes this as an extraordinary opportunity for a newcomer like herself:
"Words cannot fully express how grateful I am for your unwavering support throughout this journey. Your assistance has made a meaningful difference, and I truly appreciate the time, effort, and encouragement you provided along the way. This scholarship means more to me than just financial assistance, it represents hope, growth, and the chance to build a better future. And I truly owe this achievement to your kindness and generosity. I will always carry with me the impact you’ve had on my life. Your support has not only helped me reach this milestone but has also inspired me to give back and support others in the same way. Thank you once again for everything. I am beyond grateful to have had your support on this journey.” — Khatol (featured in right photo)
A heartfelt thank you to our incredible volunteers for making this story possible — your dedication enables our staff to expand the services we offer to Milwaukee's refugee and immigrant community. Thank you serving alongside with us!
Shout Out to Angela H. for her incredible commitment and thoughtful approach to tutoring! Her balance of review, writing practice, and conversation is making a real impact, especially in helping her learner feel more comfortable making mistakes and celebrating progress in pronunciation. We’re so grateful for her insight, consistency, and the care she brings to every session!
Agency News!
Leaving for Maternity Leave
I have some exciting personal news to share — my husband and I are expecting a baby boy this summer! His name will be Emerson, and we are thrilled to welcome him into our family.
With that, I wanted to let you know that I will be going on maternity leave beginning in late July and will be away through the early fall. While I’m out, our wonderful HR team — Nate and Katelyn — will be stepping in to support you with any volunteer-related needs. During this time of transition, we thank you for your patience and understanding. While our response times may vary from our usual standards, we remain committed to supporting you.
While I am on maternity, please email volunteer@ccmke.org if you have questions about recording hours, upcoming opportunities, or changes to your volunteer placement (such as going on break or ending service). Nate or Katelyn will be monitoring the volunteer email and are happy to help!
Thank you for all the incredible work you do. I’m so grateful for each of you and look forward to reconnecting later this year.
Meet Desire Muhozi, our new Volunteer Program Educator Coordinator Intern
"My name is Desire Muhozi, and I am excited to join Catholic Charities as the Volunteer Program Education Coordinator for Refugee and Immigration Services. As a graduate student in Sustainable Peacebuilding at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and a teaching assistant in the School of Nursing, I am passionate about fostering inclusive learning environments that empower both refugees and volunteers.
My background includes a bachelor's degree in international business and trade (IBT) from the African Leadership University and leadership experience across various grassroots organizations focused on climate action, health support, disability awareness, and refugee advocacy, particularly for refugee children and mothers. In addition to my peacebuilding efforts, I have worked as a freelance news writer for "The New Times | Rwanda", served as Cluster Leader for Gashora Cluster under Opportunity International, and led initiatives as the Millennium Fellowship Campus Director at ALU and Bugesera Region Fellowship Coordinator for AWANA Foundation and Edify Rwanda. Between March 2022 and June 2024, I volunteered at Journey House Actions Rwanda, serving as Director of Quality Assurance and Director of Partnerships and Public Relations.
At Catholic Charities, my role focuses on strengthening volunteer engagement through workshops, educational resources, and collaborative programming. I look forward to working with you all to enhance our Make & Take Workshops, ensuring meaningful volunteer support and impactful service for our refugee community."
RSVP Now for the Upcoming Make and Take Workshops!
We hope you will join Desire for the next workshop that will be held virtually on July 16th from 12:00 PM — 1:00 PM discussing how to use A.I. during your tutoring sessions. Learn how to create dialogue scripts, generate quizzes, and better prompt ChatGPT to get what you’re looking for. Whether you're returning or joining us for the first time, you'll leave with new insights and inspiration to support your volunteer work.
Our next in-person workshop will be held at our Milwaukee Area Office (2021 N. 60th St. Milwaukee, WI 53208) on Friday, August 1st from 9:30 AM — 11:00 AM (topic to be determined).
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 Jeerawat - "Fruit Cake Delight" • Eugene_Photo - "Hands in the shape of heart against the sunset or sunrise over the field with young flowers and grass in the summer with a cloudy sky background. Landscape." • olezzo - "Beautiful bright sunset on a tropical paradise beach"