Young Professionals Making a Difference in Cleveland: Read Deborah O’Neal’s Story
300 young professionals from 26 local businesses and organizations will volunteer at nonprofits during BVU‘s “Summer of Service” event on July 20, 2011. These volunteers will plant urban gardens, organize medical donations for humanitarian aid shipments, paint shelters, interact with seniors and much more at 16 local nonprofits.
We wanted to take this opportunity to share a story from one of these young professionals and her committment to serving the Cleveland community.
Deborah O’Neal
Growing up in public housing in Cleveland, Deborah O’Neal felt like “people did not pay much attention” to her or her classmates and in general no one expected anything from them. No one, except for Deborah’s mother who “struggled and worked hard to make sure we had exposure to summer camps and different programs, so we knew a different perspective from where we grew up.” Inspired by her own opportunities, Deborah began volunteering to help others at the age of 13.
Working in the community has been central to Deborah’s life. As a high school student she volunteered at an afterschool program, homeless shelter, rape crisis center, and the Boys and Girls Club. Now as a student at Miami University, she tutors at an inner-city Cincinnati school.
Deborah is a Cleveland Foundation summer intern placed at the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Cleveland and will be participating in BVU’s Summer of Service by working to remodel Martin Luther King High School. BVU’s Summer of Service connects young professionals and interns from BVU business members and partner organizations like the Cleveland Foundation to make a powerful impact in Cleveland. “I have to come back” to Cleveland is Deborah’s comment about why she gives so much of her time volunteering on her own and through events like BVU’s Summer of Service.
Deborah believes her experiences allow her to connect with children from her background and she can make a huge difference in their lives. “They look up to me and I can be a big sister for them.” Her career aspiration is to become a lawyer and work for those who usually can not afford legal counsel. Deborah is an inspiring example of how interns and young professionals are making a difference in Cleveland.
