Meet Ann Bielawski
Ann Bielawski has been a steadfast presence in the community and an unwavering advocate for Lund Family Center. A nurse by trade, Ann has offered her time and energy as a volunteer to Lund for more than five years and exemplifies Lund’s mission to “help children thrive.” Not only has Ann been involved in a variety of fundraising activities, but Ann has also involved many of her friends and members of the Charlotte Congregational Church.
Ann is Lund’s best phonathon volunteer, arriving first and leaving last. The event brings in approximately $15,000 in funds for Lund’s programs. Ann also coordinates the cookies for the event, which are a big draw to encourage volunteers to reenlist each year!
Anytime Lund needs assistance in a mailing or other volunteer project, Ann eagerly enlists people to help. Ann and her volunteers prepare over 15,000 pieces of mail each year. These mailings bring in over $100,000 in funds to the agency.
Through Ann’s support, members of her church have become informed, engaged, and active in volunteer activities throughout the community. Ann has organized a yearly calendar of events which partners Charlotte Congregational Church with Lund, and has its members collecting donations for low-income families and volunteering hours of their time.
Ann helped Lund give many families a holiday over the years. She arranged a Giving Tree at her church, and collected toys, books, and clothing for children. Once the gifts were collected, Ann came to Lund with volunteers and helped wrap a room full of presents for the families. Ann does all of these tasks without asking for any acknowledgement. Ann’s passion for helping others is her motivation. Her joy in hearing stories about those that have benefited from her work demonstrate her commitment to making a stronger, more supportive community environment.
Ann has a strong understanding of the issues faced by those we serve and educates others about our work and why they should become involved. Due to Ann’s efforts, Lund has been able to provide items such as clothing, diapers, and money toward fuel assistance to families throughout Chittenden County, and assist them in meeting the needs of their children. Ann has helped spread awareness in the community of the hardships young mothers face. Her compassion has helped motivate others to give their time and support to these women and help the young women themselves become more independent members of the community.
Ann continues to aid Lund daily. Her spirit and energy alone help to bring awareness to the societal issues facing Lund’s clients such as poverty, teen pregnancy, and substance abuse. Ann’s dedication and commitment improves the quality of life for many families. Each year Lund serves over 4,000 individuals. Without the in-kind services donated by Ann and her volunteers and without the funds that their volunteer activities help to bring in, our capacity to serve those people would be greatly diminished. Ann is an outstanding volunteer who exemplifies the philosophy of giving and for that, we are all grateful.
Lund Volunteer Named United Way Volunteer of the Week
Most middle school students are not running a business in their limited spare time, and fewer still donate a percentage of their profits to charity. Jamie isn’t like most middle schoolers. The Chittenden County young woman balances her school work and numerous sports, while running her business, Jamie’s Jewels. During the winter she began selling her jewelry at Lund Family Center events and then donating a percentage of her proceeds to Lund.
“It’s a great way to give back to charity and realize how fortunate some of us are,” she said. She recently hosted a jewelry party at a Lund board member’s home and also sold her wares at a Lund wine tasting fundraiser at Shelburne Vineyard.
Lund Family Center Executive Director said Jamie is remarkable. “She’s so outgoing and at ease,” she said. “She’s talented, completely professional, and makes really cool stuff. It is what you would see in boutiques.”
Jamie said she has always been into crafts and began beading when she was eight years old. Over the years she has begun using more sophisticated materials including precious and semi-precious stones. About two years ago she started her own business, Jamie’s Jewels, and began selling her jewelry at craft shows and other events.
Jamie often visits Beads and Things in Shelburne without any preconceived designs in mind. “I kinda just throw the stuff on the table and see what I can do with it,” she said.
Jamie’s mom and Lund board member Lisa Pizzagalli said Jamie has always had a keen eye for design and her products keep getting better and better. She has encouraged her daughter’s business enterprises while consistently emphasizing the charitable element too.
Working with Lund has been “a great opportunity to learn about giving back,” Pizzagalli said. “We’ve promoted it as a business learning experience and we appreciate the opportunity for her to continue to learn about charity.”
Because of her mom’s connection to the Lund Family Center, Jamie has been aware of their efforts to help families strive. “I agree with what (Lund) does,” she said. “(My contributions) makes me feel like I’ve done something that can help other people.”
Rachelson said Jamie’s recent shows have raised over $500 for Lund and they look forward to more events in the future. Jamie will have to find a way to squeeze that in between hockey, the ski team, and flute lessons, but it’s a safe bet she will.
~ Kate Frisbie, volunteer columnist, United Way of Chittenden County Volunteer Center
For more information about volunteering, please contact Mandy Sugrue at
(802) 861-2565 or via email at mandys@lundfamilycenter.org.
PO Box 4009