We’re so proud of our volunteers and have been recognizing many over this National Volunteer Appreciation Month. As the month comes to a close, we want to show appreciation for a volunteer who became a staff member. Lulani Gaulberto celebrated her first year last week as the Executive Assistant for Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central Ohio and today, National Administrative Professionals Day, we celebrate her! In addition to the duties you might expect of someone in her position, Lulani also organizes our chapter’s Round-Up for RMHC recognition program, putting together gift bags for crews working at are McDonald’s as recognition for asking customers to round-up their payment to support our chapter. When Lulani transitioned from regularly scheduled go-getter volunteer to one of the most integral staff members of this growing charity, she took a moment to answer a few questions about herself for a blog post. Here’s a re-publishing of that Q&A:
Q: How did you first come into the RMHC of Central OH community?
A: I started volunteering in 2017 when I was in a work transition. I chose Mondays so that I could start my week on a good note!
Q: What has been your position lately and what kinds of projects have you been working on?
A: In the past year, I’ve been a Volunteer Coordinator helping prepare & serve meals, receive donations; helped in Development by putting together Auction packages and assist with the Bake Sale; I’ve had some shifts staffing the Ronald McDonald Family Rooms at the OhioHealth Riverside Methodist Hospital and the Nationwide Children’s Hospital Big Lot’s Behavioral Health Pavilion; and I’ve worked two shifts as a Family Service Manager.
Q: Has there been a moment, since you’ve been with the House, that particularly touched you? Perhaps a moment involving one of our families or being at an event where you really felt you were part of something special?
A: I’ve had numerous moments but the most recent was when I was checking in a family from Kentucky. They had just arrived and she was very concerned about her granddaughter. She had not gotten any rest or sleep or a meal. I got her checked in and was giving her the details about the room, meals, their stay and then I told her that if she needed anything else, all she had to do was ask. I told her I would pack up dinner for her daughter and herself and gave her one of our Thirty-One Gifts welcome bags and she burst into tears. I nearly burst out crying myself but pulled it back in. I saw them a few days later when I came in to volunteer and she and her daughter looked rested and found out that the patient was doing well. How much better can it get?
Q: What are you looking forward to in your new position?
I look forward to contributing to all the House activities – raising money, fostering/planning/organizing/recognizing the amazing job that the McDonald’s restaurants are doing in their Round-Up campaign, supporting Dee Anders (our CEO) so she can do her thing, and being part of this growing chapter!