Published on October 18, 2018
Alive Volunteer a Finalist in Catherine Strobel Volunteer Awards
Long-time Alive volunteer Paige Cruse was a finalist for this year’s Mary Catherine Strobel Volunteer Award, a prestigious honor for Nashville volunteers. Paige transformed the loss of her own mother into the gift of helping others heal. For the past decade, she has dedicated a portion of her vacation time to serving grieving children and teens at our grief camps for kids.
“I lost my mom to a massive heart attack in my twenties, and it was devastating to me and my family. I made a promise to my mom if anything ever happened to her, I wouldn’t grieve too long; I would help others,” Paige explains.
As the superintendent of the Franklin Parks and Recreation Department, she is an expert on helping kids learn resiliency through play. The Alive camp team knows they can rely on her to bring a spirit of fun and adventure to the campers even while teaching critical coping skills.
“She overcame her own fear of heights (in a high-ropes course) to prove to her teenagers they can persevere,” said one of her co-counselors.
Paige’s message to other potential volunteers? Go for it!
“If you told me years ago if I would be volunteering for bereavement camps, I wouldn’t have believed it. It has changed my outlook on life and the grieving process. If you are thinking about volunteering and nervous to take that first step, think about how life changing this will be for not only the kids you help but yourself as well.”