Volunteer Spotlight

At Catholic Charities Diocese of Kalamazoo, Volunteers breathe life into our Mission,
"We are God's hands providing housing, health, and hope to His children."
At CCDOK, we could not do the work we do without their support. Whether it is behind the scenes or having direct contact with someone in need, our volunteers send a powerful message to the person being helped:
You are worthy, You are valuable, and God loves You.

We are proud to introduce some of the dedicated members of the CCDOK Volunteer Team:

Meet Kennedi Troff - Intern

My name is Kennedi Troff and I am a student at Western Michigan University. I am hoping to continue my education by getting a master's degree in social work after graduating with my bachelor's in psychology. Being able to help those in my community directly is extremely important to me and the Catholic Charities Diocese of Kalamazoo provides amazing opportunities to do that.

I hope to gain the valuable experience and skills that come with interning with CCDOK. I want to build connections and earn the trust of those who come into the Ark shelter. A big goal of mine with interning here is to bring empathy and compassion to each conversation with those who need someone to have that perspective towards them.

I know that I have been extremely privileged in my life and I want to extend those blessings to those who need it. Volunteering allows me to provide resources and information for those who do not have access to it. I also enjoy volunteering because it brings people into my life from different parts of my community that I otherwise would not have met.

Meet Ella Majewski - Intern

My name is Ella Majewski, and I am a senior psychology major at Western Michigan University. Once I graduate, I hope to become a children's therapist. I chose to intern at CCDOK because it is a great organization that helps to provide support to those in need.

Through this experience, I hope to learn more about being a supportive person to people, specifically children in need. This experience will be great hands on experience that relates to what I hope to do with my future.

I enjoy interning because it gives me an opportunity to connect with new people and hopefully make a difference in people's lives.

Meet Brianna Altenburger - Intern

I, myself, grew up in a catholic school and church. I was drawn to the agency as I also have a passion for assisting the youth. I believe that our youth hold a large amount of potential and I want to do my best to ease some of the issues they experience during their development.

I hope to bring my personal skills of patience, compassion, and care to the agency and clients. I also hope to bring a good amount of new ideas, not only for clients, but the agency as a whole. Lastly, I hope to make everyone around me have an enjoyable time!