If you’ve spent any time around Amanda the Panda or Cheer Box in the last three years, you’re no doubt familiar with Jodin Wyckoff. The EveryStep volunteer calls herself “The Intern Who Never Left.”
Jodin joined Amanda the Panda as an intern in October 2023. “I had actually interviewed at another company in Des Moines and I was going to take that job ... but I had a call scheduled with Amanda the Panda,” Jodin remembers, “I have to make this call. I couldn't morally just ghost them.”
“I ended up taking that call and going in person for an interview and loved the environment,” she says, “I had my sights set on somewhere else and then the universe was like: ‘actually, we're going to go here.’”
Jodin says her internship ended after a few months, but she felt like one of the team – so she just kept showing up to help. “In a perfect world I would have loved to stay (interning) forever just because the work is so meaningful, and the environment is so inclusive,” she says. That is how she transitioned from intern to volunteer – a title she’s held for two years now – with more to come.
“You never feel like you can't go to them with a question or like with a situation or anything. They are just very open and caring, and they just all do their jobs so above and beyond,” she says, “That is one of the big reasons why I always come back is because they trust me fully to do my job well or to volunteer well and they provide that space that is always very caring and supportive.
“I do have to shout out Amanda for her ability to pick volunteers and be such a resource for them and such a support for them. It makes an environment where volunteers want to come back because you are greeted with so much kindness and support,” Jodin adds, “When people feel welcomed and like people have their back, they're going to come back.”
Jodin says the most important thing she’s learned is how to view grief.
Don't let the topic of grief scare you away because there's so much beauty that underlies in the grief,” she says, “You get to know people, you get to know what they like, you get to watch those connections that are made, and it's so meaningful while there are also some tough topics ... It is absolutely the most beautiful growth experience that one can have as a volunteer.”
If you’re considering signing up to volunteer, Jodin says ‘do it’. “I would say to somebody who's nervous about volunteering is like, just you just kind of have to jump in. You have to do it scared, because starting something new is always scary because you've never done it before ... What we're looking for, people who would be a great fit to join the volunteer crew, is people who have a heart, who care, who want to help.”
