Name: Barbara S. Khalouf

Age: 34

Programs she most often volunteers at: The majority of my volunteer hours are spent with one of my favorite projects – Kids Create! I’m one of the Team Coordinators for this project – we do arts and crafts with 6-12 year old children. I also like to participate in the annual Serve-a-thon and Celebration of Service programs.

Where she grew up: I grew up in Marion, IN (yep, I’m a Hoosier). Actually, I just found out that James Dean was born there… weird that I never knew that!

Hobbies/interests: I play a lot of tennis, love hanging out with friends and enjoy volunteering (no…I’m not just saying that for this interview).

Why she volunteers: I volunteer for lots of reasons - I’m drawn to it, I like to “give back,” I love meeting new people, I love working with kids…. I have volunteered in one way or another for years (my first volunteer experience was in elementary school) – I suppose that I volunteer because it’s part of who I am and it makes me happy.

Why she chooses to volunteer with Chicago Cares: I’ve volunteered with numerous organizations over the years and I believe Chicago Cares ranks among the best. I constantly witness above and beyond dedication and passion from both staff and volunteers alike. I love that Chicago Cares offers multiple projects for us to choose from that enable us to help meet countless needs across Chicago, while allowing us the flexibility to choose projects when and if they fit into our schedules. I think they do a great job at tapping volunteer strengths, utilizing volunteer suggestions and appreciating the volunteers on the whole.

In order to help our volunteers get to know each other, each month Chicago Cares will “spotlight” a volunteer. If you have suggestions for volunteers you would like to see spotlighted, please email volunteer@chicagocares.org.