OUR COMMUNITY VOLUNTEER OF THE WEEK
Meet Carolyn Koblin: The ‘Cueen’ of Giving Back RACHEL SWEET ASSOCIATE EDITOR
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arolyn Koblin, 58, is a JARC board member, “Queen of Trinkets & Trash,” owner of her own company Cueenllc, motivational speaker and so much more. Koblin has been a proud board member for JARC for more than three years. JARC is a nonprofit that serves people with developmental disabilities via group homes, independent living support and in-home respite care. “As long as Carolyn has been on our board, she has gone above and beyond to help wherever she can. She stepped up during the pandemic and delivered meals to our persons-served daily. She wanted to do more, so she started doing monthly virtual story time and really engaged people in the meaningful stories she chose. She is truly an amazing volunteer,” said Jessica Tierney, JARC community engagement manager. While there are many volunteers who help serve JARC, Koblin was nominated for her selfless and inspiring spirit to give back. When asked about what inspires her, Koblin replied, “it’s just who I am. I can’t explain it. You can’t tell me to slow down.”
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Throughout the pandemic, Koblin delivered food almost every single day. “It helped me stay focused, have purpose and reason to wake up and keep going,” Koblin added. Koblin says she earned the title “Queen of Trinkets and Trash (Queen TT)” by selling promotional items for 27 years. She also created a company called, Cueenllc (the word “queen” with the “C” standing for her initial), with the goal to inspire people to be their best through motivational speaking. “By sharing stories of my past very authentically and openly, I hope that it encourages people to move forward in facing fears or challenges and start the process of becoming unstuck,” Koblin said. Throughout her life, Koblin says she has faced many challenges, including battling a lifelong eating disorder. “I was diagnosed in my late 20s and I recovered big time. Once you experience something like that, it’s always a part of your life, like alcohol, drugs or anything. But I conquered it and I had the right support. And so I want to give back,” she said. Using her own person-
“Family traditions are important, and I love sharing the holiday celebrations with JARC, too!” Koblin said. Mark Koblin (husband) Alex Koblin (son) and Carolyn Koblin. “Delivering delicious meals during the pandemic was a priority for me, nearly 365 days of 2020-21.” — Carolyn Koblin
al journey as inspiration, Koblin actively lives true to her “Cueen” message to inspire and even wrote a children’s pop-up book titled, The Whimsical Tale of the Letter C with all its support from A-Z. “It’s all about support and respecting our inner ‘Cueen,’” explains Koblin. So far Koblin says she has sold most of her books, raising $3,000 for an entrepreneurial scholarship she started. Koblin says she is working with M3Linked, an
entrepreneurial community group, to help those who are not financially able but want to join the organization and want to explore their entrepreneurial dreams. “I believe passionately that volunteer work is critical to humanity. It is so powerful to give back —the personal and professional growth is incredible for both the giver and receiver,” she said. Read more about Koblin on her website, Cueenllc.com.
