In the last 12 months, we have had many wonderful new volunteers join us to Do Good, Have Fun, and Connect. As such, we thought it was about time that we introduced you to them. To start, let us introduce you to our Reusable Pad Project Coordinator, Rebecca Coyle!

Originally from the United States, I have lived in Zürich twice with my family- my husband, Bill, and our son, Brady. We lived in Zürich once for 2 years from 2008-2010 and then again since 2016. We moved here with my husband's job and really love living in Switzerland. We love nature and overall quality of life, as well as being so centrally located within Europe for travel opportunities. While my background is in Chemical Engineering, I have not worked in that field since the birth of my son. Although I have not had a traditional job since then, I have remained busy outside of just my family work. While still in the US, I co-founded an invitation business, I taught craft classes and was heavily involved with our community through various volunteer roles. I love my "family job", but I've always missed my professional side and love that I can help others while keeping that part of my brain active.

What drew you to charity work?

I have always been active with various volunteer organisations - since high school and college. I feel it's important to give back to your community in some way, and a bonus perk is that I've developed life-long friendships with a lot of the people I've met while volunteering. In school, I was generally involved with engineering societies and mentored fellow women underclassmen in the Engineering school. Since leaving college, my volunteer time has been equally split between community organisations and supporting whatever school my son was attending at the time.

How did you get involved with Zharity?

I heard about Zharity through some advertising via social media for clothing/gently used items collections. I had a few items to donate and was intrigued. From there, I attended an Information Coffee and then an Ukraine Essential Needs Kit Making session. I really enjoyed all my interactions with the other Zharity members and really connected with Zharity's mission.

What projects are you currently working on?

I am currently the Project Lead for the Zharity Pad Project. Our goal is to make 500 re-usable feminine hygiene pads that will be donated to an organisation that takes them to Cameroon for women/girls in need, while also providing menstruation education. Our project has included finding the materials, preparing them (cutting them with templates, etc.) and then having them sewn by Zharity members. We aim to deliver these pads by the end of Fall. Additionally, I've been helping out with various other activities such as Corporate Clean Ups, Corporate Kit Making events, etc. I'm also involved in helping to provide a valuation for the many gently used items that Zharity re-distributes to our partner agencies.

Anything else you’d like to share 🙂

I’m a fairly new Zharity member, but have truly enjoyed getting to know the organization and the other members. I really feel the Zharity slogan of "Do Good, Have Fun, Connect '' truly hits home for me.

Meet the Volunteer: Rebecca Coyle