New Crew Member

This week, we asked Jen Hendrickson, a loyal volunteer to reflect on her experience working with Hoops and Hopes.

"Hi all! I’m Jen. I’m a sophomore at DePaul University, and I have been volunteering with Hoops and Hopes for almost a year now. I have volunteered for most of my life through different organizations. I was especially involved in high school, and missed the involvement that I had once I came to DePaul. I first heard of Hoops at a winter leadership conference last year where I met Ali and Jackie. They told me of the community service that they did with kids once a week on the west side of Chicago, and asked me to tag along. The Hoops crew took me in with open arms, and they have all become dear friends of mine. Every week I have the privilege to give back to the West Humboldt Park community with them. I love and appreciate every minute, whether it’s dancing in the van on the way to Kelly Y or discussing the progress that we see in the kids. My time spent at the Y is typically helping in the homework room or playing games with the younger girls. For me, I want to be there for these kids to give them inspiration and someone to trust. I want to be able to show them their potential and enable them to realize their worth. Most importantly, though, I just want to be able to make them laugh and to put a smile on their faces. I hope to keep the kids smiling and continue volunteering with Hoops and Hopes for the next three years that I am at DePaul."