Back-to-School Time Inspiration For First-Time Volunteers

At back to school time, some parents think about getting involved at their child’s school, but then abandon the idea because they feel they have nothing special to contribute.

As a PTO leader, you’ve seen these folks and, chances are, you’ve tried to give them a gentle nudge to help them get involved. So how about sharing this secret with them we all know well: These parents may not feel special, but most any effort they make to help out at school absolutely is special.

That’s the beauty of school volunteering—there are almost endless possibilities of what a parent can do to make a difference. Our SBLI Superstar Volunteers are wonderful examples of this. Their contributions are so varied that they are bound to inspire any parent who may want to volunteer but is hesitating to take that first step.

The SBLI Superstar Volunteers program is a team effort of PTO Today and SBLI (The Savings Bank Life Insurance Company of Massachusetts).




Launched in January 2012, the program recognizes volunteers who are nominated by their peers. We profile these superstars on our site and SBLI donates $500 to each superstar’s school!

So far, we have selected more than a dozen Superstar Volunteers and, because we’ve received so many wonderful nominations, we will continue the program in 2013.

Take, for example, our most recent SBLI Superstar, Alvaro Rojas from CedarWood Christian Academy in Aurora, Colo. One day, Rojas happened to notice the grass on the playground looked overgrown.




So, he brought his lawnmower to school and mowed the playground area. He also has been spotted shoveling the school’s driveway on snowy days.

Or how about Cathy Boese, another recently named SBLI Superstar Volunteer? The mother of four eased her way into volunteering, first by taking on a room mom assignment and then adding responsibilities over time.

Now she is the PTO president at Bancroft Elementary in Andover, Mass.

Another wonderful example is Tina DeClue, a Superstar Volunteer from Shepard Boulevard Elementary in Columbia, MO. DeClue first focused on how to help families. For example, she started a support group for families who had someone serving in the military.

So if you are looking for ways to help parents get involved, tell them about our SBLI Superstars and pass along this Superstar Volunteers link to them. These stories may be just what you need to help parents become the volunteers we know they can be.