Voices of VU: Emilie Drasher, VU Baltimore

We’re excited today to introduce you to the founding chapter of Volunteering Untapped - VU Baltimore! The VU family was started in 2014 by Seth Franz and has grown significantly since, with 100-200 monthly volunteers, over 80 nonprofit partners and over $500,000 in volunteer service hours.

Check out our Q&A with Emilie Drasher, Executive Drasher of VU Baltimore, to learn about their work in Baltimore City!

Tell us about VU Baltimore. When and why did you decide to become involved with VU and can you tell us more about the origins?

VU Baltimore was started in 2014 by Seth Franz who saw an opportunity to bring together young professionals to volunteer, meet new people and have fun. VU Baltimore’s first event was just a handful of volunteers and now we regularly have 100-200 people volunteering with us every second Saturday. We’ve partnered with over 80 nonprofits and have contributed over $500,000 in volunteer service hours to Baltimore City. I first volunteered for VU in 2018 at The Warehouse Collaborative - a 100,000 sq. ft. building that houses several nonprofit organizations that share space and resources there. A friend and I volunteered with ShareBaby and it was such an incredible experience that I knew I wanted to stay involved with VU. In 2019, I joined as VU Baltimore’s Executive Director after working in nonprofits and community development for the past 10+ years. Every day, I get to work with other nonprofits and our amazing volunteers to help make Baltimore a better place for all of its residents! 

Which Baltimore nonprofits/organizations are you partnering with for VU’s first-ever virtual event?

Not being able to bring together large groups of people to do in-person volunteering has really made us - all of the VU Chapters (Baltimore, Chicago and Philadelphia) - rethink how we can continue to serve our cities while maintaining social distancing. Though each of our cities is unique, there are similar needs that each one of our city’s have. For May, we will be sewing face masks with Station North Tool Library, making cards of encouragement for Kennedy Krieger Institute, decorating our windows as part of The Creative Alliance’s Baltimore Window Gallery and The Rainbow Project, calling residents about the Census with the Baltimore City Department of Planning, and cleaning and greening our neighborhoods with Beautify Baltimore Brunch Club.

 What are you most looking forward to at the virtual event? 

I’m so excited to see all of the planning coming together for our first virtual event! None of us could have imagined we’d be in this kind of situation, but to see how everyone is working so hard to make this event just as impactful as our in-person events is really inspiring. I can’t wait to see our regular volunteers and new ones in Baltimore and in Chicago and Philadelphia. Because we all hold our events on the same day, we don’t really get to see the other chapters in action, but this month we do! 

What advice do you have for volunteers looking to give back during COVID-19?

There is never a shortage of ways to give back to your community and now more than ever, our cities and our nonprofits need help. For some, that may be helping package or deliver food to vulnerable residents. For others, it’s sewing face masks or making signs to let essential workers know that you care and support them. And most - if not all - nonprofits are struggling financially, so donating money is also incredibly helpful right now. People interested in giving back during COVID-19 can check out the websites for food banks and shelters which many have sign-up forms to volunteer. Many local officials also may be able to provide information on what organizations need help. You can find out about a lot of opportunities by following organizations that you’re interested in on social media, too. 

For out-of-town members of the VU Crew, where should we go when visiting Baltimore? What are your favorite local bars and restaurants?

Baltimore is called “a city of neighborhoods” and each one has its own personality and things to do. You can’t really visit Baltimore without seeing the Inner Harbor and a great way to do that is on the water taxi which can take you to a few neighborhoods like Fells Point and Harbor East as well as Fort McHenry (birthplace of the Star-Spangled Banner). My sports-fan husband would tell you to go to an Orioles game (Camden Yards is ranked as one of the best ballparks in the nation). In my neighborhood (Hampden), there’s a ton of bars and restaurants - and shopping! - that are great for dinner and bar-hopping! But one of my favorites on a sunny day is Blue Pit BBQ for a cocktail on their patio with our dog.