Julie Shaw

Name: Julie Shaw

Family: Husband, Charlie; and two dogs, Daphne and Lola.

Residence: Yuba City.

Occupation: Provide nail care.

How long have you lived in the Yuba-Sutter area? 21 years; I moved from San Francisco to Sacramento, then here.

Hobbies, interests: I do ceramics, like to read, and walk the dogs.

For what groups do you volunteer? The Yuba City Relay for Life for about 12 years — I have done everything from walking the walk to being team captain and raising funds. Originally, my boss asked me to help with the business' campsite; within a few years, cancer had affected my family and neighbors. It became my thing to champion.

I have been a member of the Yuba City Moose Lodge for four years. My husband happened to be at the lodge one day to eat at a Relay for Life cook-off, saw a notice on the bulletin board about a corned beef and cabbage dinner, and wanted to go. A friend from the lodge got us tickets, we went once and joined the next week.

I am the lodge's Relay for Life team captain for the third year, have been "raffle queen" for about a year, help serve dinners, and have been calling bingo since March.

A friend from the Moose Lodge also introduced me to the Marysville Art Club, where I've been a member for about three years.

This is the most involved (in community activities) I've been in my whole life. I get wrangled into doing things ... I don't know how to say no.

We can always use more volunteers. It's the best nonpaying job you'll ever have.

How do you fit volunteering into your schedule? I do what I can when I can. I'm not involved in other groups within the Moose Lodge because I can't say I will be there on specific dates. I calendar it in and make it so.

Words of advice: Find something you're passionate about and ask someone who is involved. All I did was ask my friend for the tickets for the St. Patrick's Day dinner at the lodge.

Why be a volunteer? I do it for the hugs. It's satisfying for me, meets social needs. You make some really nice personal connections.

Can you see yourself not volunteering? Not anymore.

Any warnings about being a volunteer? When you don't know how to say no, next thing you know you don't have time to do things for yourself such as hobbies and down time.

Quote: "So much gets done by volunteers, and a lot of people don't realize it because they're behind the scenes. Those are the ones that keep it going."