Debbie Collier

• Name: Debbie Collier

• Age: 52

• Family: Husband, Chris; children, Christi, Cheri, Curtis, Andrea and Kristen; and six grandchildren

• City of residence: Yuba City

• Occupation: Marriage and family therapist

• How long have you lived in the Yuba-Sutter area? I was raised in Live Oak and graduated from Marysville High School.

• Hobbies, interests: Watching my granddaughters dance, watching my grandsons in karate and soccer; swimming and vacationing with my family

• For what groups do you volunteer? I’ve been involved with The Acting Company since 1997, where I am vice president and was president last year. I do a lot of things within the organization, including directing, stage managing, performing and building sets.

I have been becoming more involved with the United Way, one of the many organizations in the community that support TAC. Also, I used to work at Casa de Esperanza and have continued to do some volunteer work for them.

• How do you fit it into your schedule? I’m fortunate because I basically work for myself, so I get to schedule my own hours. I can work a three-day week and do other things, such as volunteer.

• Words of advice: Most of us have a very strong interest or a passion, and that’s probably the best place to start when you want to get involved in the community.

When my kids were little, they were my passion, so I was involved with their schools. On the other hand, you can also find something that you don’t know much about but think that it would be interesting.

• Positive and negative points about volunteering: The only negative that I could say is not so much negative as it is learning about yourself and how to make sure your life stays in balance.

If you start giving too much, you might resent it because you’re not taking care of what needs to be done. I think when people volunteer with something they’re interested in, they bring a positive energy to the organization and that excitement lifts everybody else’s energy.

• Quote: “I can’t expect the community to just do for me and not give back to it equally.”

Volunteer of the Week runs Mondays on the Local page. To submit the name of a volunteer to be featured, send it to Volunteer, c/o Leticia Gutierrez, Appeal-Democrat, P.O. Box 431, Marysville, CA 95901.

You also may call 741-2400; e-mail the submission to lgutierrez@appeal-democrat.com; or fax it to 530-741-0140