Volunteer Salute

Some of our volunteers are sympathetic to our families, and others are truly empathetic. Justin Laliberte has been helping us make an impact in our community for a few years now, and we are so thankful for his services. 

Justin gave volunteering a new meaning when he went out of his way just to deliver laptops to a mother and her children. And his personal story doesn’t fall short of what many of our youth experience. 

-His Why….

“I grew up in Boston, my father passed away when I was six. My mom was a single mom with 2 children. She worked multiple jobs and so I had to grow up quickly. I grew up in the city and my best friend lost his life due to violence. My mom wanted to get me out of the neighborhood so I applied to a couple of programs that would allow me to go off to boarding school. I was a great student and a great athlete as well so I was fortunate enough to get a scholarship to go to school. My tuition was paid for but everything else wasn’t and so quite often I had to use used books and computers. I was out of the environment I grew up in and so if that didn’t happen I don’t know where I would be in life. I made it a point since I was in that situation to really invest in my community and give back to someone else and so if I can do that for one person and provide them with a laptop, great! If I can pour into an organization that can do a lot more, then why not? That’s my purpose and my behind “why” for volunteering.”

-How he got started…

“My initial effort was really being present around the networking events which are held various times throughout the week, month, year. But then I started to do more of the project work as I said 2 years ago and I actually approached Richard when one of the co-chairs was exiting their seat and I approached Richard the CEO of Inspiredu and let him know that I’d really like the opportunity to lead a committee and the volunteer engagement committee had a hole and we’re looking at how we can really capture more volunteers, get out in the community, identify folks that do want to invest their time and/or donate. We get folks engaged in the various events in the areas where we need skill and volunteerism in Inspiredu.”

-Justin going the distance…

“About 2 years ago, July or August of 2020, I was on Facebook and I happened to see some person I did not know posting to a group that they were displaced, they had children, they were displaced into another school district so the kids didn’t have friends they didn’t have a support system in the community. They also didn’t have the technology, they didn’t have a laptop and they didn’t have tablets and so I asked if they had heard of Inspiredu. The woman had no means to get the equipment so I agreed to drive down to the warehouse, grab a couple of laptops and then drive them out to her in Dallas, Georgia. And when I showed up at her house she was super thankful, she hugged me, she was crying and her kids came out and it resonated with me. It brought me back to a few challenging times in my life as a kid. From that point on I’ve been completely committed and invested.”

-The reward…

“You can’t get time back, and time is the most precious thing to give if you can’t donate. Not everyone can donate money so the next best thing is to give your time to an organization like Inspiredu. You may be able to network if you’re aspiring to get into the tech industry, it’s a great way for you to give back to the community but also get to know the community and the folks that may have a job for you down the line.”

Learn more about becoming a volunteer like Justin TODAY!