Colleen Sneller

Colleen Sneller is a parent volunteer who exemplifies Community Mobilization. Single-handedly, she attacked the project of procuring an electronic community sign for Sergeant Bluff. Once Colleen started the project, she decided that two signs would serve the community more effectively. Colleen worked with the City of Sergeant Bluff and about a year and a half later; the signs were in place. The signs provide communication for school and community events. What Colleen Sneller determines as a goal, she accomplishes with a flourish!

About this same time, Colleen decided that it was imperative to create memories for children through a yearbook beginning in kindergarten. She approached building principals and teachers and put the project together herself with many hours of toil and cropping images. This was quite an accomplishment for a mom who said that she was not very knowledgeable with computers. Colleen's computer knowledge mushroomed through the course of this project!

"Colleen Sneller has volunteered her time on a weekly basis in my room for the past 4 years. She makes it a priority to get to all of her children's classrooms to help their teachers in any way that she can. This helps Colleen know about the struggles her children may be facing academically, the teaching style of the classroom teacher, and to show her children that she values the education they are receiving. Colleen has always told me that she is willing to help with the grunt work, thus allowing teachers to use their time to meet the needs of all of the students in their classrooms. She is always here with a bright smile, a ton of energy, and a willingness to do or try anything. She is dependable and always lets me know if she is unable to make it on a given day. Colleen also stays cognizant of other parents wanting to help and allows them to go on field trips before volunteering herself in order to give every interested parent an equal opportunity to participate as a classroom helper,” said Jill McCauley, 4^th grade teacher at Sergeant Bluff-Luton.

Mobilization is what Colleen does best. Whether it is organizing volunteers to help man a reading project, erecting community signs, or serving as the Emcee for a reading celebration, Colleen has five children, so it could easily be said that she is busy and occupied with her own family’s needs. However, this school/community volunteer does not think that way. She is totally about giving of her time to serve others.