Revamping the Boys & Girls Aid Ambassador Board: A Q&A with Jenna Boyer

Jenna Boyer and her husband, Isaiah, adopted their children, Everett and Bella, through Boys & Girls Aid.

Boys & Girls Aid’s Ambassador Board consists of volunteers who want to support the agency’s mission but may not have the time or resources to be a foster parent or sit on the Board of Directors.

Our Ambassador Board is currently expanding to accept new members who bring a diverse range of talents, expertise, passions, and experience to support our mission to help children find their forever families. Recently, we sat down with the Ambassador Board Chair, Jenna Boyer, to get an inside look at what it means to be part of this growing team of community volunteers.

Q: What does the Ambassador Board do?

A: The Ambassador Board is member-driven: each person contributes in the ways that are most meaningful for them, and within their skill set and availability. Examples of things some members have done in the past include:

Join our annual online peer-to-peer fundraising campaign
Pitch in time or resources to help furnish and decorate a residential site for children in Boys & Girls Aid’s care. If you can hold a paint brush, you can help!
Help set up and attend a child’s birthday party. For many children, this is the first time they’ve ever had a birthday party
One member has sponsored fundraising events at her spin cycle gym!
The Board of Ambassadors has hosted its own signature event in support of Boys & Girls Aid. Happy hour and raffle prizes, anyone?
Contribute items from an Amazon wish list to help meet the basic needs of the children Boys & Girls Aid serves
Make a personal donation to Boys & Girls Aid

The Ambassador Board meets (in person when possible) about 4 times per year to strategize, socialize, and connect with BGA leadership. Members are also invited to attend a Board of Directors meeting, if they choose.

Q: What type of things are you doing to revamp the Ambassador Board?

A: Years of social and economic disruption caused by COVID meant a suspension of in-person events and decreased capacity for folks to get involved in volunteer and advocacy opportunities. We saw our membership and engagement drop off quite a bit.

As we emerge from COVID restrictions, I’m working with Boys & Girls Aid’s staff to reimagine and rebuild the Ambassador Board. On May 20, we’re holding an informal happy hour at Maplewood Coffee & Tea in Southwest Portland from 4-6 p.m. for anyone who is interested in getting involved with Boys & Girls Aid!

Q: Why did you join the Ambassador Board?

A: I got involved with the Ambassador Board about 5 years ago. My family is complete because of Boys & Girls Aid, and I know firsthand how impactful the right support at the right time can be. The Ambassador Board is a great way for me to share the work of Boys & Girls Aid with my family and friends, and to give back to an organization that has been so important to my family’s journey.

Q: Why should someone become an Ambassador?

A: Not everyone can become a foster parent. I think a lot of people feel like if they aren’t in a position to actually foster or adopt a child, there isn’t much they can do to make a difference for kids in foster care. We know there are thousands of children and youth in Oregon who lack a permanent home, and that’s so overwhelming. But you can make a bigger impact than you might think, without a ton of time or resources. Through something as simple as volunteering a few hours to help throw a birthday party for a child who has never had one, or sharing an Amazon Wish List to help teens get school supplies and feminine products, or hosting a small-dollar peer-to-peer fundraising page for Giving Tuesday—you can make a huge impact for the kids that Boys & Girls Aid serves.

Q: What's your favorite thing about being part of the Ambassador Board?

A: Being on the Ambassador Board has let me make a meaningful impact in ways I wouldn’t have been able to do on my own. I love the sense of connection and community that comes from being part of something that’s bigger than myself, but not so big that I get lost in the shuffle. What I enjoy the most about this group is the way each person brings their own unique energy and creativity to take small, yet concrete actions that directly support children and youth on their journey to finding their forever homes.