Meredith Imes loves volunteering.
"I feel like it's been ingrained in me from a really young age," Imes explains.
She also loves public speaking; a perfect match when she started volunteering with the United Way.
"The United Way's mission is giving people hope," Imes says."There are 23 partner agencies. They all work pretty closely together to basically give people not a hand out but a hand up and give them that hope to really give them something to pursue in our community."
Imes talks to number of groups including businesses and schools about the importance of the United Way and why the donations are so important to our community.
Imes says volunteering is more than just giving back to the community.
"Knowing that you're making the world a better place then when you came into the world is something that really keeps me going," explains Imes.
And it's something she hopes she can continue to do for years to come.
"I feel like I wouldn't be where I was without people helping me and making a differnce in my life so I hope I can do that as well," she says.
If you would like to help out and volunteer, contact the Volunteer Center of Lubbock at (806) 747-0551.
by Lauren Matter