Jill Fleming is a connector. Her role as an educational management consultant and coach involves connecting people’s needs with resources as well as connecting parents, teachers, and students. And Jill’s enthusiasm for students and education has led to years of service and volunteering.
“When I think about volunteering, everything that I love doing has an educational component.” From collecting tennis balls for the bottom of classroom chairs to arranging educational events for high school parents, many of Jill’s charitable efforts have been a sprint, but now she has found her marathon cause – Not Home Alone.
Not Home Alone (NHA) is an educational enrichment program for latchkey children attending Robert E. Lee Elementary and John F Kennedy Elementary schools. Agape Memorial United Methodist church has run this East Dallas program for 26 years, offering a safe and nurturing place to be after school where at-risk kids from low-income homes can find tutoring and problem solving activities that build self-esteem.
University Park United Methodist Church, where Jill is a member, partnered with Agape UMC to support the Not Home Alone program. The University Park UMC congregation has been providing snacks for NHA for all 26 years of the program! Jill is heading up their biggest fundraiser of the year on September 24th. The Taco Dinner and Auction will feature a silent and online auction of trips, sports memorabilia, jewelry, home goods, gift certificates, and other items. The money raised provides funding for all aspects of the Not Home Alone program.
Jill knows the impact fundraising events make for organizations like Not Home Alone, but more than anything she loves spending time after school with the NHA kids. “The reason people volunteer is because we are truly relational people,” Jill said. “These simple acts are what we are called to do.”
To learn more about the Auction and Taco Dinner event on September 24th, visit the University Park UMC website.
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Story by Mary Martin with photos by Jan Osborn.
