When Liz Smith first moved to Madison from the Pacific Northwest she was looking for ways to get involved in her community. A longtime participant in volunteerism, Smith soon found her calling.
“I got involved (in Big Brothers Big Sisters of Dane County) through my friend Melissa,” said Smith, who was first matched with her Little Sister Journey in May 2025. “I had just moved to the Madison area and was looking to get involved with the community in a volunteer position, but I was unsure where to start.
“I have many years of volunteer experience and was looking to try something new. Melissa said such great things about BBBS Dane County, and I researched it and knew I wanted to be a Big Sister.”
Big Brothers Big Sisters pairs individual youth with a trusted adult in a one-on-one mentoring relationship. The goal is to support kids and help them develop confidence, life skills and foster success. It’s one of many local nonprofits that rely on the time and support of volunteers to enrich the community.
“At Big Brothers Big Sisters of Dane County, we simply couldn’t do what we do without our volunteers,” said Allie Schaitel, marketing and communications manager for the organization. “Their dedication, time and passion fuel every match we create and every child we support.
“These mentors give so much of themselves to help kids build confidence, discover new opportunities, and reach their full potential, and our entire community is stronger because of it.”
Still, the need for volunteers at the organization is great, and it usually takes between 155 to 180 days between enrollment and a volunteer match. The group connects with prospective volunteers through networking events, workplace meetings and one-on-one sessions, plus community events like the Madison Night Market and Sun Prairie’s Corn Festival, Schaitel said.
After the application process and background check, potential volunteers meet with an enrollment and matching specialist and “we explore the volunteer’s interests, demeanor and expectations to ensure the best possible match with a child,” Shaitel said.
“After being matched, volunteers complete child safety training and an orientation with our team before meeting their Little.”
Smith has found the experience rewarding. “I also love the flexibility — I get to create our outing schedule in partnership with my Little’s parent, which makes it easy to fit into my life.”
Another organization that uses volunteers on a one-to-one basis is the Literacy Network, a group that assists adults in Dane County with their language skills.
“At Literacy Network, volunteers are essential,” said Jill Stendahl, volunteer manager for the organization, which recently celebrated its 50th anniversary. ”Through one-on-one tutoring, they help adults build literacy skills, reach life-changing goals and strengthen our community.
“Volunteers enable us to extend our impact by serving more people, and they also tell us they find tutoring deeply meaningful,” she said.
Ben Lavelle, who has been part of the group’s English as a Second Language tutoring program since May 2024, got involved because he was looking for a way to give back to the community.
“I’ve enjoyed taking language classes myself, in the past, and I thought that I might also enjoy tutoring ESL students,” Lavelle said.
It’s been a great fit for Lavelle.
“I love volunteering at Literacy Network,” he said. “It’s fun and fulfilling to find ways to give to your community, and it brings me joy to see the students who I work with learn and grow their English language skills.”
Many hands make light work
On the near east side of Madison, an armada of volunteers powers the neighborhood’s free music festivals — the Marquette Waterfront and Orton Park festivals, La Fete de Marquette and the Willy Street Fair — which raise money for local nonprofits, as well as promise a rollicking good time.
Andy Moore, who volunteers as a music director and stage manager for the June Waterfront and August Orton Park festivals, said it takes around 200 to 250 neighborhood volunteers to make the festivals run smoothly.
“We could never execute our multi-day music festivals without the support of our sponsors,” said Moore, but “all the sponsor money in the world would not make the festivals happen without volunteers working year-round. The tasks for these events are endless: overseeing vendor selection and placement, working with the city for permits and safety training, securing porta-potties, beer and soda coordination, purchasing and scheduling bands for performance… the list goes on.”
Marlisa Kopenski Condon, president of the Marquette Neighborhood Association, said both the Waterfront and Orton Park festivals are strictly run by volunteers, as well as MNA’s 12-person board.
“Both the Waterfront and Orton Park festivals are not only moneymakers, but community-makers as well,” said Kopenski Condon. “It is not just about the festivals, it’s about the advocacy we do. And again, it is all done with volunteers. Even the bartenders at the beer tents turn in their tips to help with our fundraising.”
As a result, MNA awarded nearly $100,000 in grants in 2025 to help community organizations around the Isthmus such as Common Wealth Development, the Wil-Mar Neighborhood Center; local schools like Lapham and Marquette elementaries, O’Keeffe Middle and East High; and the Wisconsin Council of the Blind & Visually Impaired, to name a few.
Chip Cruz — co-owner and manager of the Weary Traveler Freehouse; and along with his wife, Melissa Cruz, co-owner of Rotunda Cafe inside the Atwood Avenue Lake Ridge Bank — volunteers with the nonprofit Wil-Mar Neighborhood Center as well as the local festivals.
Located at 504 S. Brearly St., the Wil-Mar Center not only co-sponsors July’s Fete de Marquette and September’s Willy Street Fair, but is a nonprofit that uses volunteers to provide services, such as food pantries, to help the east side community.
Some of the businesses and individuals who provide sponsorship and volunteer help for the so-called Festyland festivals include Paul and Ellen (“your northside neighbors”), the Willy Street Co-op, Heartland Credit Union, Chocolate Shoppe Ice Cream and the Lauer Realty Group.
“The Wil-Mar Neighborhood Association and the services it provides are made possible by the hard work of so many volunteers,” Chip Cruz said. “This ranges from the association’s board members all the way to the people who greet you at La Fete de Marquette.
“Festivals such as La Fete, the Willy Street Fair, the Orton Park Festival, the Marquette Waterfront Festival and AtwoodFest are simply not possible without the thousands of hours, year-round, and hundreds of volunteers who donate their skills as well as their time.”
