Linda Folsom, a WriteGirl enthusiast and top ticket seller at this year’s WriteGirl Season End event at the Writer’s Guild of America Theater, spoke to us about her volunteer experience with WriteGirl. At the event, she had the fortunate task of being the photographer liaison, so she was able to watch the inspiring event and hear the girls read their pieces onstage.
Did you know she works at Disney!? She is involved with not one, but two magical places! Linda learned about WriteGirl through her daughter, Alana who joined WriteGirl as a mentee when she was in high school. Linda loves what WriteGirl does to help high school girls, and once her daughter became an alumna, Linda became a volunteer and has been active in WriteGirl for four years. (Alana is now studying English at Bates College .)
Linda Folsom with her WriteGirl mentee at the annual WriteGirl Performance Workshop.
Why does Linda love WriteGirl so much? There are many non-profits that cater to the well being of young women, but she has never seen such a welcoming organization like WriteGirl.
“WriteGirl connects with me because there is not a wall between the volunteer effort and my life in general,” she says. She is a writer herself, and she has been taking poetry classes. She explains that WriteGirl is for “anyone who supports the creative endeavors.” To Linda, there is something about hearing or reading young women’s writing that “just starts that fire in you. It’s like, give me a paper, give me a pen!”
As a “super volunteer,” she is dedicated to promoting the organization, so more people can get involved to help spread the inspiring voices of these talented young women. Some of her friends lamented not being able to attend the event, but she informed them they could still make a donation or buy an incredible anthology of the unique voices of young women.
Linda mentioned that a friend of hers has been reading WriteGirl’s newest anthology, Beyond Words, and is motivated by these girls’ words and now wants to complete some of her unfinished works.
WriteGirl is overjoyed to have Linda as a volunteer because she is committed to helping teen girls reach their potential through writing. Thank you, Linda for all you have done and will continue to do for WriteGirl!
