Mom Passed On Volunteerism Bug

On any given day, Colleen Schoenthal, a Dublin mom of three, likely can be found volunteering at a local school, her church or on the sports field. A former actuarial consultant, Schoenthal has found a new career helping her community.

She's probably best known for starting the Tutoring University at Dublin High School. The program, established in 2008, offers free weekly tutoring to students who need that extra bit of help.

“The kids need someone to help them with science and mathematics,” said Schoenthal. “It’s my background, and I like it.”

She turned to tutoring when she and her family moved to Dublin seven years ago. She noticed kids in the community were struggling with science and mathematics at school, but their parents couldn’t afford private tutors. Schoenthal, who has a math background, started tutoring students at her house. Demand grew, so she moved the service to her church, until the program finally found a permanent home at Dublin High.

Schoenthal said the interaction between student and teacher is what she finds most rewarding.

“I can see when they get the light bulb thing going, the 'aha' moment,” she said.

Schoenthal started volunteering at her church, St. Philip Lutheran, where she ran the youth group and taught Sunday School.

“I really liked working with kids,” she said.

So when her kids started school, she began volunteering on bus trips, in their classrooms and on yard duty. From there she turned to sports, and coached the soccer and baseball teams.

“I got more and more involved,” she said.

Schoenthal said she started volunteering to serve as a role model for her three kids. It worked. Two of her daughters, 18 and 15, work as counselors at Vacation Bible School’s Girl Scouts day camp. Her 22-year-old son and eldest daughter have traveled to Mexico many times to build houses in poverty-stricken areas.

“My reward is seeing [my kids] want to help out,” said Schoenthal.

She also inspired her husband, Scott. Schoenthal coached her younger son's soccer team until he was 12, at which point Scott took over.

“He loved it,” she said.

So much so that now he is president of the Dublin United Soccer League, a youth soccer club. He also won Coach of the Year last year for his work with the Dublin Hurricanes, an under-15 girls’ soccer team.

“He really turned the soccer league around in Dublin,” said Schoenthal.

As if all this weren't enough, she is treasurer of Dublin High School’s 2011 Grad Night. Both she and Scott are working hard to decorate and prepare the venue for the seniors’ big night.

Schoenthal’s volunteer work has led to job opportunities. Fallon Middle School, struggling to find substitute teachers, encouraged Schoenthal to get her teaching credentials so she could fill in when needed. True to her go-getter nature, she did and fills in when a teacher is sick.

Now that she’s passed the volunteer baton to her kids and husband, will she kick back her feet? No, said Schoenthal, who thrives on connecting with members of the community, young and old, and plans to keep doing it.

“You meet the nicest people, people who have the same values and ideas as you,” she said.