Gina Secrist has been involved with many volunteer activities over the last ten years at Brookdale Elementary. Because of her extensive involvement in Brookdale’s PTA, she is being honored as the September BMO Harris Bank District 204 Volunteer of the Month.
Gina has three children in the district, a fifth grader at Brookdale, a seventh grader at Hill, and a freshman at Metea Valley. She has served as the director of outreach on the board of directors for Little Giraffe Foundation since 2012. On top of helping select recipients annually to receive research grants and NICU support grants, she also manages acquisition and distribution of children’s books and baby toys amongst nine volunteers to be delivered to eleven Chicagoland hospital NICU’s six times each year.
She has been involved with many volunteer activities such as chairing the Staff Appreciation Week, helping the Brookdale assembly committee, organizes volunteers for the Brookdale morning greeter, has chaired Tokens for Teachers which is a way for the PTA to recognize staff birthdays each month, celebrates district anniversaries, as well as lounge treat days and acknowledgement of big staff moments.
Her nomination states, “Gina's ability to see opportunities to help without being asked and creating easy, efficient, and effective programs in response is something that I, as a new 204 parent, have truly admired. She is well known and respected at Brookdale, and I am grateful for her leadership, willingness to help, and commitment to our school's community and goals.”
Gina volunteers because her mother was involved with the PTA, Market Day, and she was her Girl Scout troop leader for many years. She set an example for her on the importance of helping where you can. She loves the opportunity to get to know all her children’s teachers and how things work at the schools.
