Volunteer Leadership Lab

10/20/2026

"I am a valuable person of great worth."

Those words are painted on the wall of StepUp Wilmington's meeting room. Jordan Reuck-Harter, StepUp's Volunteer and Employer Relations Manager, told us what happens when volunteers walk into that room:

"When volunteers step into a room, stereotypes and assumptions naturally fall away through real dialogue."

Volunteers come to share their experience. They leave having seen the talent, intelligence, and resilience of the Candidates they met, people who just needed a platform to be recognized.

Read the full interview:
https://www.ilmvolunteerhub.org/blog/display/?blog_id=31627

10/20/2026

Meet Meghan Rooney, VLL Founding Volunteer 💚

Meghan serves as our Data & Listing QC volunteer for the ILM Volunteer Hub, helping make sure the opportunities people find are accurate, clear, and ready for them to say yes.

By day, she’s the Managing Director of Strategy & Ex*****on for Small Business Banking at Live Oak Bank, bringing 15+ years of building systems that scale. Outside of work, she hosts community gatherings, leads a neighborhood Bible study, and serves on nonprofit boards.

Meghan believes strong communities are built by people who show up, serve well, and make it easier for others to do the same. You’ll also find her playing pool volleyball with her husband, Andy, or exploring Wilmington with their yellow Lab, Madi Lee. 🐾

Thank you, Meghan, for helping connect more people to meaningful ways to serve!

Find your way to give back at www.ilmvolunteerhub.org

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10/15/2026

Yesterday I spent the afternoon at Willowdale Farms with Dolores Williams, board member and Project Manager for Community Enrichment Initiatives Inc. (CEII). What they're growing here goes far beyond produce.

Willowdale Farms is a 2-acre urban farm plus 4 community gardens across Wilmington, and every bit of food grown is given away at no charge to neighbors facing food insecurity. It's neighbors feeding neighbors, right here in our sweet city.

They need volunteers at the urban farm, Monday through Saturday, 9AM to Noon. Pick the day(s) that fit your week:
🌱 Farm Tenders - planting, weeding, watering, and helping the farm thrive (family friendly, ages 12+, groups welcome)
🌱 Compost Lead - one dedicated volunteer to own the Compost Station, one day a week
🌱 Harvest and Distribution Volunteers - harvest, pack, and get fresh food out to the community

Volunteer needs for their 4 community gardens are coming soon, too.

Follow Willowdale Farms on the ILM Volunteer Hub to see every opportunity and get notified when new ones are posted:
www.ilmvolunteerhub.org/agency/detail/?agency_id=190469

Thank you, Dolores, for the tour and for all you do!

10/13/2026

Looking for a way to give back that fits your schedule? StepUp Wilmington has a role for you. 💙

Since 2003, StepUp Wilmington has helped neighbors facing barriers to employment become job ready, get hired, and keep growing. With nine full-time staff and about 40 active volunteers, volunteers are part of just about everything they do.

Ways to get involved:

🍽️ One-time: Cook and serve a CareerUp dinner. A great fit for company teams and groups. Staff plan the menu, provide the ingredients, and show you around the kitchen.

🖥️ Ongoing: Greet visitors and take calls at the front desk on a consistent weekly schedule.

📋 Trained roles: Session facilitators, mock interviewers, resume writers, one-on-one Candidate conversations, CareerUp session leaders, and childcare.

✍️ Resume writers are especially needed, and you can now help fully remote!

With Jobs Week running twice a month, CareerUp every Wednesday, and teen classes growing, program support is StepUp’s biggest need this year.

Read our full feature and find StepUp’s volunteer opportunities on the ILM Volunteer Hub 👉 https://www.ilmvolunteerhub.org/blog/display/inside-stepup-wilmington/?blog_id=31627

10/12/2026

Calling everyone who leads volunteers in the Cape Fear region

Our Leaders Circle meets tomorrow morning, and theres a seat at the table for you. At Octobers meeting, well be brainstorming ideas for volunteer recruitment, retention, and stewardship. Come for the camaraderie and leave with fresh strategies for engaging your volunteers.

Who it's for:

Leaders Circle is for everyone who leads volunteers:
• Volunteer coordinators at nonprofits
• Civic group leaders rallying their teams
• Staff organizing helpers at local schools
• Companies engaging employees in giving back

When and Where:
Tuesday, October 13, 2026 | 9AM Azalea Station, in the Cargo District on 15th Street just off Castle Street. It's a great spot with lots of space, great coffee, and plenty of parking.

Register here: https://www.volunteerleadershiplab.com/event-details/leaders-circle-2026-10-13-09-00

See you tomorrow!

Join local volunteer leaders each month for connection, collaboration, and community.

10/06/2026

This month's nonprofit spotlight: StepUp Wilmington.

Since 2003, StepUp has helped neighbors facing barriers to employment become job ready, get hired, and keep growing. The core program is Jobs Week, a 3.5-day workplace simulation held in partnership with Cape Fear Community College. Every graduate gets a professional resume and a one-on-one coach called a Talent Manager.

About 67% of the adults StepUp serves have justice involvement in their background. Others are domestic violence survivors, neighbors experiencing homelessness, people in recovery, or someone who hasn't worked in 15 years.

Read the full interview with Jordan Reuck-Harter and Emily Mitchell, conducted by VLL volunteer Suzy Struhs:
https://www.ilmvolunteerhub.org/blog/display/?blog_id=31627

Every month, the ILM Volunteer Hub features a local organization doing the work of holding this community together. This month, we visit StepUp Wilmington, which has helped people facing barriers to employment become job ready since 2003. The words in our headline are painted on the wall of their me...

10/02/2026

Rose Tatum and Agnes Nyagami spent the evening at the Andy Frasco & The U.N. show chatting with concertgoers about the ILM Volunteer Hub and all the ways to get involved in our sweet city. Thank you to everyone who stopped by to say hello, grab a card, and share why volunteering matters to you. 💚

✅ Volunteers: find a cause that fits your interests and schedule
✅ Organizations: recruit and manage volunteers on our free platform

Ready to find your cause? Sign up at www.ilmvolunteerhub.org (link in bio).

Rooted in community. Connected by service. Together we rise.

09/18/2026

Want to volunteer with Communities In Schools of Cape Fear? Here's what's available.

🌱 Spring: PASS Reading Tutoring. Background-checked, trained volunteers paired with a third grader for 12 weeks of weekly reading sessions

🍂 August: Stuff the Bus, the region's largest school supply drive

📅 Year-round: Office support, summer camp volunteers, guest readers, Baby Steps program support, and Teen Court, a diversion program run entirely by volunteers

You don't have to work directly with students. There are plenty of behind-the-scenes roles.

Check out CIS up on the ILM Volunteer Hub: https://www.ilmvolunteerhub.org/agency/detail/?agency_id=186121

Full CIS interview here: https://www.ilmvolunteerhub.org/blog/display/?blog_id=31364

09/08/2026

Twenty-five years ago, strangers ran toward the danger for one another. Out of that day came the National Day of Service and Remembrance, and every September 11 since, people across the country have honored it by giving their time.

One day matters. A year matters more.

This September 11, we are asking our neighbors across the Cape Fear region to make a longer commitment. Pick a cause. Find an organization. Sign up for something that outlasts today.

Volunteer opportunities are waiting at www.ilmvolunteerhub.org, where nearly 50 (and growing) local organizations post ways to serve.

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09/04/2026

More than 20 years ago, Annie Adams launched Communities In Schools at New Hanover High School and started a program for students who were expecting babies while still in high school.

She stayed in their lives, and their children's lives, for 18 years.

Last year, that first group of "baby steps babies" graduated high school.

"They've had close relationships with supportive adults forever, and to see them all celebrate the major milestone of graduation, and go off to college to chase their dream jobs, was just a really humbling thing to witness." (Kendall Englehart, CIS of Cape Fear)

That's what a two-decade commitment to a community looks like.

Read the full interview: https://www.ilmvolunteerhub.org/blog/display/?blog_id=31364