Volunteer Spotlight

Cheryl Mandala, Janice Nakao and Valerie Baldwin

Silicon Valley Youth Bridge was founded and thrives because a large number of board members, teachers, mentors, coaches, administrators, table helpers, food preparers, and many others have generously given their time to the organization. Dozens of pizza parties, hundreds of classroom instruction hours, four years of summer camp and Youth Nationals coaching +++ have all been possible only because of our dedicated volunteers. This article spotlights Cheryl Mandala, Janice Nakao, and Valerie Baldwin, three of the many bridge enthusiasts who have donated their time to the organization.

Cheryl Mandala has been SiVY volunteer since December 2013. At that time we’d held a few pizza parties, had 10 or so classes in process, and were growing fast. All our event invitations went out using Evite and any tracking of attendance was on a spreadsheet. The process needed to be improved – and fast!

Cheryl stepped in as our Registrar, tracking all the attendance at events, keeping the database updated, printing out name tags, and sending out all the invitations and reminders. In addition to this role, Cheryl has also volunteered at all of the Bay Area High School Bridge Championships. As the coach of the Monta Vista High School team, Cheryl helped guide them to win the first trophy and place third in the next two years. In this year’s fourth annual event, Monta Vista is entering two teams for the first time.

When asked about volunteering, Cheryl said, “My favorite part is watching kids develop and learn.” She went on to relate a specific example from a practice match. “Even though Kevin (Rosenberg) and I had taught this concept several times, one of our 3rd year students said, ‘I see it’s really important to bid your games!’ When I see a student come to a realization like that, it’s very satisfying. It also shows that experience is the best teacher."

 

Janice Nakao is another of our longtime volunteers, stepping in as a table helper for the first summer camp in 2013. Since then she has been a frequent volunteer at monthly events, Casual Friday, and Summer Camp. In 2015 when SiVY introduced its Mentorship Program, Janice became its coordinator and has held that role ever since.

Valerie Baldwin, one of our early volunteers, has worn many hats. Val attended the first TAP training in Spring 2013 and has taught in a variety of after school programs ever since. Her good humor and easy style with the students makes her a classroom favorite. The organization most of all appreciates Val’s willingness to participate in whichever location needs her.

While it’s not feasible to highlight all of our many volunteers in this column, the SiVY students, parents, and board members thank each and every one of them for their dedication to the mission of inspiring the next generation of bridge players!