I was first introduced to Cherish the Children Foundation by Debbie Stauble my freshman year of high school. After hearing about the children that CTCF helps I was very interested in what I could do to participate. I ended up working with a team of other boys my age soliciting donations for an auction to be held at the annual CTCF Golf Tournament. Debbie spent a lot of time with me and the other volunteers mentoring us and teaching us how to approach local businesses and merchants to ask for donations. She taught us how important it is to be part of a community and how to give back. She also taught us how to present ourselves, how to follow up with prospects and to make sure we sent thank you notes to those who helped. These skills have helped me in my job search as I approach my graduation from college. I also had the opportunity to volunteer as a tutor and coach at the Covenant School in Downtown Hartford, CT through my affiliation with CTCF which was a great experience. I met a lot of very bright young students who otherwise would not have access to a quality education if they were not at the Covenant School. I would highly recommend participation in CTCF to anyone who is interested in giving back to the community and at the same time developing their own interpersonal and communication skills.