Update: A previous version of this story had the ending time of the Daddy-Daughter Snowball incorrect. It has since been corrected.

Rebecca Kellogg, of Dowagiac, is the owner of Blue Print Photography who has volunteered with the Young Professionals of Greater Dowagiac as membership chair for the past three years. The Young Professionals organize several events a year, including Saturday’s Daddy-Daughter Snowball, which takes place from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. at Dowagiac Middle School.

What do you do with the Young Professionals?
We have been a group for a few years and we have started to have reoccurring events.
We have the daddy- daughter dance and Mommy and Me event and we sell ornaments. There are a few other things that we are looking at putting together, but those are our main goals for each year.
Mommy and Me is a lot of fun. I am a photographer and I thought that would be fun for everyone to have a photo, so I volunteered [to create] the backdrop and everyone that gets a photo I email them a free digital image and that was crazy successful.
[Additionally] I make sure that everything gets printed and distributed and work with the local schools. They help us out by [letting us] put the flyer of the event at the local schools.
I want to be able to share my talents with the group like other people do. I volunteer for stuff that I can do and do well.

How did you get involved in the YP?
Well we moved to Dowagiac [from Decatur] and I opened my business [Blue Print Photography] and I literally knew one person in town. He put me in touch with the Young Professionals because we moved here and we planned on living here and we are raising our daughter here and we have our home here.
I just really liked being in touch with a group that benefitted this community and took strides to make it a better one by having community events for families in town.
People really seem to enjoy these events. They support and they all come out for them and they all bring their kids to the events and everyone comes to the fireworks. It is really satisfying and nice to see that our efforts to put something together for the community are appreciated by the same community.
It has been really great. I have met people that I never would have met.

What is the most rewarding part?
I would say when our events our successful and we are supported by the community and the people in the community come out and have fun at something that we have put together. Community participation in something that we worked really hard on is rewarding.

Why would you encourage others to volunteer?
Well, if they are new to the community, like I was, it is a great way to meet people your age and similarly interested in helping the community that you live in.
Even if you have lived here I think that we can do great work for the community and we can always use extra helping hands for the things that we would like to accomplish, and we are fun. We are a fun group.
Do you know a volunteer worthy of recognition? Nominate him or her as the Volunteer of the Week by calling the newsroom at (269) 687-7713, or emailing news@leaderpub.com