Volunteer Profile - Lizzie Lauffer

Meet Lizzie Lauffer, a hard-working and passionate Steering Committee co-chair/volunteer for Band Together. Lizzie’s day job is Assistant Manager, Projects and Programs at the Bell Leadership Institute in Chapel Hill. But for much of her "free time" Lizzie works hard (and has fun) supporting Band Together. We recently asked Lizzie to tell us a little more about her Band Together experience.How did you hear about BT, and how long have you been a volunteer?

This is my 3rd year volunteering with Band Together. I heard about Band Together through a family friend. I was new to Raleigh and she thought it would be a great way to become involved in the Raleigh community and meet fun, new people. She was exactly right.

What “jobs” have you had as a volunteer?

I started out as a volunteer for the Silent Auction committee. I helped mostly with asking for items, collecting items and organizing the VIP brochure. My second year I took a similar role, but also worked to recruit artists for the LIVE Artist's Village. Throughout my time I have also volunteered at many of the events including the Cahoot, Last Band Standing and the Main Event.

How would you describe your current role?

This year I am one of two co-chairs for the Silent Auction committee. We are working on everything from recruiting volunteers to working with our electronic bidding company.  As a committee co-chair, I also participate in Steering Committee meetings where all of the committees come together to share ideas and provide updates on progress.

What are you most excited about this ’14-’15 season?

This year we have been working hard to come up with ideas for unique experiences that we can offer as part of the Silent Auction and VIP area to make this event the best yet! We have some great things in the works and I can't wait to see how everything comes together on the night of the event. It is such a rewarding experience.

Share one funny thing that’s happened to you with BT…

Very early on with Band Together, I attended an After Work Social event to go over logistics for the Main Event. A group of 30 or so people showed up at Lincoln Theater for the meeting, only a few of which I had met before. The first thing on the agenda was an "Icebreaker." We ended up playing a game similar to musical chairs, except instead of fighting over seats we had grab onto other people and create small groups. I had no idea what I was getting myself into.

The music starts playing and Matt (Strickland) calls out the number "4." Immediately, the room is in chaos and I am being grabbed by complete strangers and pulled into groups where I am face-to-face with people I am meeting for the first time. Talk about competitive! After that meeting I had literally gotten much closer with my Band Together groupies.