PROFILE - Zak Roshdy

Carying Place staff is sad this week, as Zak Roshdy returns to his classes at N.C. State after faithfully volunteering in the office from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. every weekday all summer long.

Zak shared his feelings about his experience before he left.

“Most of what I do is just answering the phones,” he said. “But there is more to it than I thought there would be. Every person who calls has their own story. Just by talking to people over the phone, I got a better understanding of the economic realities they face, the hardships they face, everything that goes along with that emotionally, materially, and financially.”

Zak is not the only office volunteer, but has put in more hours than other volunteers. On Thursday afternoons, from 12:30 to 3:30, Anne Shay has been faithfully volunteering every week for many years. Kim Taliano volunteers in the office from 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday and Thursdays. And from January to May, another N.C. State student, Ashley Byrd, learned about all aspects of The Carying Place, serving as evening volunteer, auction committee member, child-care provider, and, of course, office volunteer.

Zak’s departure leaves a big void, particularly in the morning hours, so staff are looking for other office volunteers who can fill in at least once or twice a week on a flexible basis. Computer skills are helpful, but not necessary.

A junior Philosophy major at NC State, Roshdy started the summer looking for a paying job for a while, but then decided to try to get some experience with a nonprofit organization, which he has thought about as a career in the future, after he finishes law school. His mother heard about the Carying Place through her own volunteer work in Urban Ministries in Raleigh. The family lives in Cary.

Zak helped with office tasks such as data entry and working on the newsletter. “I found it to be an enriching experience, really worthwhile,” he said. He enjoyed working with the staff, who he described as “genuinely interested in the well being of others. . . . The success rate is pretty high, so not only are people here interested in what they are doing, but also good at it,” he added.

Staff were thrilled to have Zak in the office, allowing them the flexibility to visit families, attend meetings, meet with community members, and other duties that require leaving the office. With only four people on staff, and much of the work required outside the office, it was great to be able to count on Zak being there to open the doors and answer the phones for the public.

In his spare time, Zak enjoys producing music; he plays guitar and bass, and has been in bands, but right now he just “collaborates with people here and there.” He also enjoys exercising at the gym and reading.

Contact Sameena Rashid at 462-1800 if you have some time to help The Carying Place out in the office. You’ll be glad you did!