By Kami Danaei, Volunteer Spotlight Writer
For Julie Stohr, volunteering at Beach Cities Health District’s AdventurePlex is a chance to give back to a place that was part of her childhood, while gaining valuable experience working with children. A student at Redondo Union High School, Julie was born and raised in the Beach Cities and enjoys living in Redondo because she feels a strong sense of connection with the people around her.
Julie chose to volunteer as an Adventure Assistant at AdventurePlex because she remembers visiting the facility when she was younger and wanted to help create that same positive experience for today’s children. As a health and fitness center designed especially for youth, AdventurePlex provides a safe, structured environment where children can challenge themselves physically, mentally and intellectually through a variety of activities.
As an Adventure Assistant, Julie helps create a fun, educational and safe experience for participants. She helps maintain clean and safe spaces throughout the facility and assists with activities such as arts and crafts, ropes courses, rock climbing, costume play and story time. She also supports camp staff during facility rotations and helps set up and organize activities, contributing to a welcoming and positive environment for children.
“Julie truly went above and beyond during her time volunteering at AdventurePlex. She consistently took initiative, jumping in wherever help was needed and making a positive impact across multiple groups. Her willingness to support both staff and campers did not go unnoticed.
Thank you, Julie, for making such a meaningful difference,” said Sam Carcamo, Julie’s supervisor.
Julie appreciates how welcoming the AdventurePlex community is. Since she hopes to work with children in the future, volunteering has given her an opportunity to develop valuable skills in helping, supporting and caring for young children.
Her advice to other students considering volunteering is simple: “Just to be patient and do what you feel most comfortable with.” Outside of volunteering, Julie enjoys spending time with friends and shopping; two activities she says bring her a lot of joy.
