Guest post from former CCChampions intern, Little Champ Volunteer, and Pitt CCChampions Vice President: 

Izzy- "During my sophomore year of college, I was looking for a new club to join when I stumbled upon the Pitt CCChampions club.  After one year as a member, I became vice president of the club where I had the opportunity to work closely with Sidney and his team to plan fundraisers and events for some of the kids in CCChampions.  I was also given the opportunity to be a Little Champs volunteer, where I met my friend Avery. I would visit Avery at CHP each week where we would have a blast playing games and making crafts together. Having the opportunity to be a part of some of the amazing things that CCChampions does for the kids really sparked my interest in doing more for the organization, which is when I decided to apply for the Friendship Assistant internship.  One of my favorite things about working with CCChampions was that my role allowed me to watch our friendships grow.  I would see pictures and hear the story of how each kid met their role model, and then I had the opportunity to follow the friendships as they grew and to see each of the special moments that we made possible for the kids. Although my time as a Friendship Assistant has come to an end, I am so grateful to continue to be a part of the CCChampions family and to watch the friendships continue to grow!"

We are SO excited to introduce the newest member of our team, Kelley Gavel! Kelley is our Friendship Assistant Intern, and will be assisting with all things "friendship"! A graduate of The Pennsylvania State University, she spent the last year teaching 5th grade in Galway, Ireland and came home to the states to teach high school special education and gifted elementary education outside of Philadelphia.  She recently moved to Pittsburgh to pursue her masters in Applied Developmental Psychology at The University of Pittsburgh with a concentration in Children with Special Health Care Needs and Child Life.  When Kelley is not in school as a teacher or a student, she enjoys working at her favorite place in the world, The Double H Ranch, a summer camp designed for children with chronic illnesses.  

We are so excited to welcome this bubbly, full-of-life, and loving member to our team!