Staff Spotlight: Edna Galvan

Welcome back to Familiar Faces Friday! Can you believe it’s already been a month? We love learning about our staff and hearing how United Way of Lake County has impacted their lives. This week we are getting to know Edna Galvan, the Manager for Success by 6.

When did you start working at United Way of Lake County?

I started working at United Way of Lake County in July of 2014.

What made you want to be a part of this organization?

I initially got exposed to United Way of Lake County and the work that they do through my internship that I did here during my senior year in college.  From that experience, I was able to gain more of an understanding of each of the communities that we work in and their needs.  To witness the lack of resources that some communities had was sad and, to me, it quickly became apparent that UWLC was doing their best to fill those gaps. When given the opportunity to join the staff, I was excited to be able to work in our Community Impact Department and help with the goal of fulfilling those needs through our programming.

How has United Way impacted your life?

United Way of Lake County and the work that we do has impacted me in a great way.  I was born and raised in Waukegan and to see all of the work that we do in my hometown is definitely rewarding and a great feeling.

Which of United Way’s programs do you connect to most and why?

All United Way of Lake County’s programs are great and really do amazing work in the community.  The program that I connect with the most is Success By 6 (SB6).  As the Program Manager of Success By 6, it is important to me that we reach as many children as we can through our programming and to reach our goal of making sure that children are prepared to start kindergarten.

One of the most rewarding parts of working in the Success By 6 Program is having parents come to me and tell me how thankful they are to be given the opportunity to have their child participate in one of our programs.

What has been your favorite memory of working with United Way?

My favorite memory that I have from working at United Way has been the opportunity to implement new programming.  The launch of Kindergarten Countdown Camp was a big accomplishment for UWLC and that is something that I will always be proud of.  It is a great feeling knowing that we are helping incoming kindergarteners who have little to no preschool experience get this opportunity for them to be able to learn key readiness skills before they begin school.  To this day, we are still hosting Kindergarten Countdown Camp and even expanding into a new community.

Thank you for joining us for another Familiar Faces Friday. To meet more people on staff, click here.