With some extra time on her hands, Alice Audu has taken the opportunity to support students and fight food insecurity. She’s a Hands On Atlanta Civic Fellow, serving with our Discovery (the virtual DISCO edition) program and regularly volunteers with Give Girls a Chance.

We caught up with Alice to learn more about her purpose and where she’ll be volunteering next.

What impact areas or pressing needs facing Atlanta do you care about most? Why?

Education is near and dear to my heart, hence why I became an educator. I believe better and more equitable education as well as more access to educational resources are a pressing need for Atlanta. I also care a lot about food insecurity, so a lot of my volunteer experience has been to help in solving this issue.

What do you love most about the organization you volunteer with? Why do you volunteer with them?

I volunteer with Hands on Atlanta (outside of being a Civic Fellow) because they are one of many organizations that are truly in Atlanta to make a difference through partnerships and providing avenues for others to get involved. I volunteer with Give Girls A Chance because they too are making a difference by providing access to educational and mentoring resources to girls from low income areas of northern Nigeria that would otherwise not be able to.

How has the Covid-19 pandemic affected your volunteering efforts?

Covid-19 actually kickstarted my volunteer efforts...at least on a more regular basis. I felt like I needed to be serving others and not just sitting at home with all the extra free time I seemed to have from working from home. I signed up for one volunteer opportunity and didn't stop.

Can you share a memorable highlight or moment you've experienced that might motivate others to volunteer?

I went to one volunteer opportunity where we packed lunches for homeless people who were residing in a revamped old hotel downtown during the height of the pandemic and I had to hold my tears back. I got so emotional when I was finished and it just made me become so grateful for everything I am fortunate to have. Not that I didn't know I was fortunate before, but I think just being there at that moment made me even more grateful and also grateful to have signed up and made it out to help.

The more I volunteered, the more fulfilled I got. It was almost like a light went off in my head where I was thinking of more ways I could help. I also started thinking of what I could do to not just help those in need in Atlanta, but also in my home country of Nigeria.

Volunteering in April? Share where, when and if others can join you or how they can get involved.

Saturday, April 2, 2022 at Nicholas House with the Georgia State University Alumni Association. For all GSU alumni, registration is open until April 1.

Anything else you think our community should know about you, your volunteer service, or your commitment to Do Something Good!

One of my favorite quotes is "The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others" by Mahatma Gandhi. I can honestly say that each and every time that I volunteer and I am serving others, I am reassured of my purpose; to serve and to make a difference (even if a small one) for the good of others.

Inspired by Alice’s story?

Help us engage and highlight incredible efforts like hers, by making a donation to Hands On Atlanta. It takes hard work AND financial support to tackle Atlanta’s most pressing needs. When you let our hands be yours, every $1 invested turns into $6 of economic impact! Donate now and help ensure a more civically engaged and equitable Atlanta.