SPOTLIGHT: Emily Geno, Volunteer ’17-’18

Q: What’s your LVC story? A: I was in LVC 2017-2018 as a Communications Assistant in Wilmington, Delaware. My nonprofit worked to alleviate the effects of homelessness through a variety of programs: dining halls, child care, job placement, dental care, and more. I got to see each of these programs in action which opened my eyes to the nonprofit world and the myriad of ways that homelessness affects folks’ lives.

Q: What are the top 3 ways LVC changed or impacted your life? A: LVC greatly impacted the way I approach environmental sustainability, budgeting, and social justice.

Q: Why do you support LVC? A: I support LVC because they take volunteers who often have not personally experienced injustice (I was one) and put them in full-time positions that inevitably challenge their worldviews and leave them with a desire to pursue justice in the world. They become passionate agents for change.

Q: What do you want to leave in the 40th Anniversary time capsule? A: Some things I’d like to leave in the time capsule that describe my time in LVC would be a clothesline and bag of veggies for broth. Both of these items represent ways that our house tried to live sustainably, which was a major learning curve for me.

Q: What are you doing now, and how is it related to your LVC experience? A: Right now I am a Receptionist at a law firm. I would say that my time as a Volunteer has given me a lens through which to view my work. Instead of focusing simply on my daily tasks, I have a better understanding of justice in the world, so I can ask myself questions like, “How does our law firm impact society and the marginalized?” “How does my presence in the organization make a difference?”