45 Years of Impact: Cathy Hurst
Cathy Hurst, the Agency Relations Coordinator for VolunteerNow celebrated 30 years with the organization on August 6.
“I believe in the mission of this organization,” Hurst said. “I believe that we do transform communities through nonprofits who use volunteers.”
It all started while Hurst was working at a real estate firm. She noticed an ad in the paper for a Public Relations/Communications job opening at the Volunteer Center of Dallas, now known as VolunteerNow. The part that caught her eye was the address of the organization – Hurst recognized it as one of the old Victorian houses that had been renovated and she wanted to see inside. For that reason alone, she called in sick to work and went on the interview. She was pleasantly surprised at what she found.
“I met the most incredible people, doing the most wonderful things, and I wanted to be a part of it,” Hurst said.
Hurst was hired and began her career with VolunteerNow. She has worked in every department across multiple positions in the past 30 years with the organization.
She started working in Public Relations/Communications then moved to Agency Relations. Next, she found herself in the Community Service Restitution department.
“I saw all kinds of people that made horrible judgement calls that ended up going to nonprofits and doing wonderful things for them,” Hurst said.
After her time there, she floated around doing different jobs that were needed until she finally ended up back in Agency Relations, in her current and longest serving role as Agency Relations Coordinator.
“We get to help 2,000 agencies, so our impact is huge,” Hurst said “I couldn’t imagine having a better job.”
Hurst has always embodied the volunteer spirit, giving her time to organizations such as The Salvation Army, Citizens Development Center and Legacy Founders Cottage. But after she started working at VolunteerNow, she found herself volunteering more and recruiting more volunteers in the process.
Currently, her volunteer partner is her daughter Katie, with whom she shares projects they work on together. But before Katie was able to tag along, Hurst brought her beloved pug, Maggie.
As a true reflection of Hurst’s personality and dedication to being the best volunteer possible, Hurst offered her dog as a way to provide therapy for the people Hurst helped. For the ones afraid of animals, she brought coloring books, while also helping them work through their fears.
For Hurst, volunteering is an important part of life and she knows firsthand, through personal endeavors and her role at VolunteerNow, the positive impact volunteers have on the world.
"It will change your life,” she said. “It will make you a part of solving the most desperate problems of not just our city, but the world. I have seen one person make a difference over and over and over again.”