Karen Grigg of Godfrey
Karen Grigg knew she wanted to volunteer but was unsure how until she learned of the United Way’s Caring Contracts.
“The idea that an ordinary person can make a difference is inspiring,” she said, referring to Mortenson’s example. “You can do a little and someone else can do a little, and pretty soon all the pieces add up to making a big difference.”
Karen signed a Caring Contract immediately following Mortenson’s lecture, enthusiastically committing herself to volunteering.
Karen works in customer service at American Water Co. and daily sees the impact of people’s actions on the lives of others.
Customers often share their personal financial situations with her, and she does her best to help them set up payment plans or refer them to an agency that might be able to help them.
Karen said she believes she is like many others who want to answer a call to community service but don’t know how to go about it.
“I’m pretty sure that I want to do something with women and children – the difficulty is that I work during the day,” she said. “I’m really interested in Big Sisters, but I’m not sure that I can put in enough hours with my schedule so that I’ll be happy with what I can do.”
Karen enjoys gardening in her free time. As a result of time constraints, Grigg is thinking about volunteering for Pride or the Sierra Club to utilize this passion.
“Alton is still a small town,” she said. “The community has lots of integrity and so much history.”
Kathie Bassett, The Telegraph
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