Volunteer Highlight — Kari Ann Swoboda
Volunteer: Kari Ann Swoboda
Volunteering Since: 2020
Site: Detroit Lakes, MN
Meet Kari Ann Swoboda!
Kari is our Site Director at our BIO Girls Site in Detroit Lakes, MN. As a mother of a young girl, school counselor, and female herself, Kari understands the importance of building self-esteem, instilling confidence and empowering our young adolescents to be bold, unique, and beautiful starting from the inside out. We are so grateful for all she does for the BIO Girls mission.
We asked Kari a few questions about her involvement with BIO Girls:
What do you do for work?
“School Counselor, Detroit Lakes Middle School.”
Do you have an impactful story to share from your volunteer experience?
“I had a participant that stood out to me. This young girl was shy, did not interact too much in the lessons, nor had much confidence with her ability to run. As a site director observing this young girl, I was unsure if she liked the program. With surprise she joined for the second season of BIO Girls. She was a completely a different girl than I met from the first season. She was confident, excited, and participated in everything with 110%. She caught me with surprise, and I had so much joy watching this participant grow from being part of this amazing program. It was awesome to see.”
Favorite lesson or mantra?
“Choose Kindness Lesson. I loved the Jenga activity that was part of the lesson. It was a lot of fun to watch the girls reactions when they read their jenga piece out loud. The smiles on their faces meant everything to me. It's so important for everyone to know how SPECIAL they truly are! Everyone deserves to be treated with kindness..”
Name one-way BIO Girls has impacted you personally?
”You get so much out of the lessons by volunteering. In fact, my daughter who is 4 years old, took a lot of interest in what I was prepping for each week. She caught on to some of the mantras and lessons. I believe it has helped me be a better parent, by sharing with my family what we learn at BIO Girls."
How did you hear about BIO Girls?
Kari heard about BIO Girls from a counselor friend. After learning about the program, she agreed with many of our volunteers that she too wishes she had BIO Girls when she was younger. After her first season, Kari got feedback from a parent thanking BIO Girls for the night and day transformation of their kiddo they attributed to BIO Girls. Reflecting on her time volunteering with BIO Girls, Kari did not hesitate to recommend volunteering to others who are interested.
Kari —
The BIO Girls team, the participants you have made an impact on, and the Detroit Lakes community sincerely thank you.
TAKE ACTION.
Ready to get involved?
Register for our next Virtual Lunch and Learn.
Tune in to learn from our team. We will cover:
The BIO Girls Mission & Why We Exist
Our Proven 12-Week Program & Why It Works
Site Director & Mentor Volunteer Roles