Volunteer Hall of Honor

A few years back, we had our first contact with Emma Durrssen.  She had answered an ad that we had placed in Volunteer Match.  She was a new Mom and was looking for a way to stay involved in the community.  I was primarily looking for someone to handle our Constant Contact communications, but after she handed me her resume it became quite apparent she was capable of handling the management of our new website that was then being developed.  On her own time, she worked with our Webmaster to learn the necessary info to be able to do the job going forward.  Well, she sure has been a blessing to our Alliance.  Even though she is not an presently active artist, she sure has the art of helping out down pat.  She has been managing our website since its inception and does a stellar job, I must say!  If she is as good at what art as she is with website management, she is a Picasso?

Now just a little bit about Emma’s background.  When the time came to choose a college, Arizona State was her top pick because it was the opposite of where she was coming from – a small town on the southern coast of Maine. She was ready for sunny days in the big city.  Emma yearned for an experience filled with more culture and diversity. Art had been a constant in her life ever since she was a little girl, so she couldn’t imagine studying any other major, however after her first-year Emma started to fear the pursuit of a degree in studio art. She didn’t want to end up the “starving artist” (whatever that meant), so she changed paths and selected a new major of Sociology. At the time, it felt like the right choice. Now she looks back and sometimes wishes she had just stuck with what she loved. During her junior year, she started a part-time job for a health insurance company and ended up staying in that industry for nearly the next 10 years although she never felt passionate about the work she was doing. Three years ago, Emma became a mother which quickly changed her priorities. Being at home with her daughter was the only way she could imagine raising her, so she quit my full-time job and has been enjoying every precious moment since. She tells us how excited she is to be volunteering for Arizona Art Alliance – it gives her the opportunity to feel connected to her previous passion of art while being the mom she wishes to be.

Boy! Did we luck out!