Creative Work- Reflections from the SILO Coordinator

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SILO volunteers joke that they shouldn’t give me an open offer to help, because they’ll find themselves working on unusual project the next week. Never is that more true that the months leading up to Snow Ball, our annual fundraiser. The formal event requires a significant amount of planning and participation from our amazingly talented volunteers. Many of us find ourselves working on projects we never would have suspected we were capable of.

What I love most about preparing for Snow Ball is the beautiful challenge of matches our volunteers’ skills to the unique tasks to prepare the event. This can require some creativity when none of us posses a certain set of skills or when the ideas we come up with are challenging to implement.

Unlike the usual tasks our volunteers perform- cooking for folks who are hungry, giving rides to those without vehicles or visiting those who are sick or in prison- preparing for Snow Ball adds an element of visual artistry. It’s a new avenue of expression for some and a familiar path for others.

One of our volunteers who has an “engineer’s mind” helped us create a phenomenal scale drawing of the venue. This has helped our artists and designers create the room layout and ensure everything will fit, preventing last minute “disasters”.

Our volunteer artist has brought authenticity to our decorations, giving so much time to ensure guests are transported to another world for the evening.

SILO volunteers share resources and contacts to help bring our visions to life, all while staying on a budget. Our volunteers who like to cook even make meals for other volunteers who help set up the space, often coming straight from work.

Throughout the year, and especial around Snow Ball, SILO is indebted to our volunteers who give the most valuable gift- their time. A big thank you to all of our SILO Team! We could never accomplish the scale of what we do without them!

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