In The Beginning
Recognizing a need
Marlo Vega, is the Founder / Director of the Central Station Volunteers (CSV) Program. She has a background in Marketing/Advertising; Program Directing; Supervising, Sales and Securities. She is an avid volunteer in the community through the schools, church, other non-profit organizations, and whenever she runs into opportunities. In her current part-time position, as Administrator of a church, she has worked alongside many philanthropic organizations to help towards their mission. Ms. Vega also has teenagers who need volunteer hours based on their activities and scholastic requirements of certain programs that require service hours. Post Covid pandemic, she found many people had become apathetic, lonely, and hesitant to engage in activities. Even church attendance dropped along with scholastic participation with parents at various events throughout the year. The Killeen Independent School District held a grass roots meeting and asked for local ministries to help find a solution regarding their issues of disengaged families, and to help with volunteering in schools, due to the teacher shortage.
The village grew
While Ms. Vega had just begun forming the Central Station Volunteer Program at her church, she spoke with her closest friend and information systems programmer professional and Co-Director of the Central Station Volunteer Program, Ms. Renee Ham, about utilizing the CSV Program to become a catalyst for students, families, and citizens in the community to help bring people together for a greater purpose and to alleviate some of the issues the schools and local businesses were facing. Ms. Vega requested a meeting with the School Board President, the School Superintendent, and the School Director of Community Relations to pitch the program and ask if they would be interested in a partnership, at no cost to the school district. It was received with great enthusiasm and excitement that we move forward and make it happen. They decided to open the services of the CSV Program on a grander scale, due to their partnership with the school district and the City of Killeen itself. No matter what the state of the community or city is currently, our problems and needs do not change. Who will answer the call? As it has been quoted from an old African Proverb “It takes a village…” This was the preface for the creation of the Central Station Volunteer Program.
Ms. Vega and Ms. Ham, then worked on designing the program in collaboration with the school districts Community Relations Director and Superintendent. They assembled a group of trustworthy, compassionate, and dedicated people who are ready to use all of their talents, skills, flexibility, and professionalism to propel the organization to new heights.