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Rosie Cortez
Girl Scouts
Parishioner since 1990
Retired volunteer coordinator, Retired and Senior Volunteer Program
- In what ministries have you been involved with in the past?
I've volunteered with Girl Scouts for 15 years. The first troop of Girl Scouts had as many as 12 girls and three of the original Cathedral School of St. Mary girls continued through high school graduation. Three of us were honored with adult lifetime membership at the girls’ retirement as girl scouts. Father Bud asked me to continue with Girl Scouts and I did. We now have a second troop of eight girls who just completed their third year. In the ‘90s I volunteered with the Cathedral School of St. Mary Parent Teacher Club and Interfaith Hospitality Network.
- What is your favorite thing about volunteering at the Cathedral?
My favorite thing about volunteering at the Cathedral is that I have been asked to help in many different areas. As they say in the volunteer business -- "All you have to do is ask."
- What do you get out of it?
I have gotten so much out of working with young girls and women, especially when the girls have come back to say they learned about history, science, etc. in Girl Scouts and were just starting to study that particular subject in school. I love to see the excitement in the girls’ faces when they learn they can do what they set their mind to do. In my 15 years there, six girls have earned three Catholic - Religious Recognitions in three different levels.
- What has been one of your most rewarding experiences as a Cathedral volunteer?
The most rewarding experience as a volunteer is that I feel I have a much larger family. The parents’ confidence and trust that I will do for their girls as if they were my own, especially now that I don't have a young daughter in the troop, is rewarding.
- Why does volunteering matter?
Volunteers matter to me because I've been volunteering for over 40 years; I started as a kid and have never stopped. My time and experience is what I have to offer. Volunteering matters because of the many hundreds of thousands of dollars volunteers save the Cathedral, through their generosity of time, experience and love for God and for those who can't do for themselves.
- What are your other interests?
I am a licensed massage therapist and cake designer. I volunteer for the elderly at the Conley-Guerrero Senior Activity Center and Lyons Gardens Living Facility -- Family Eldercare. I've just recently started to quilt with a group of friends who also recently retired.
- What advice would you give to a parishioner new to volunteering?
Sit and visit with busy, active parishioners you see at the Cathedral. They (we) love to share their personal stories about serving God and community. You may just find what you've been looking for through conversation.