Courtesy Activate Good
GIVERS
ALL GOOD An organization connects volunteers with nonprofits by CATHERINE CURRIN
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mber Smith has always felt called to do more. While she was in college at North Carolina State University, she’d volunteer with all sorts of causes. “Everything from marketing to combat youth homelessness to serving meals at the men’s shelter,” she says. “Any kind of volunteering you could think of.” Smith felt so compelled to do good, in fact, that she paused her schooling after her sophomore year to do it full-time. She enlisted her best friend from high school, Heather Leah, who quit her job, and the two dreamed up how they could amplify
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their impact in their own community and beyond. In the fall of 2004, the pair traveled on their own for two and a half months to 20 states to volunteer and “do some good.” “We stayed with friends, family and even some strangers along the way,” says Smith. “We traveled until we went completely broke.” The duo made it back to Raleigh, but continued to be inspired by what they saw on their road trip. “Everywhere we volunteered, the folks working at the nonprofits had emphasized the huge value of people giving their time and talents. Many nonprofits are constantly strapped for resources and they
