Holiday blogger hopes to inspire others by volunteering

During the holiday season, senior Nadia Tronick is refocusing her end of the year festivities from gift shopping to volunteer work.

Tronick, who is majoring in journalism and minoring in political science and speech communications, is going against the grain with her seasonal blog as she decided to commit 12 days during the holiday months of November and December to do volunteer work. She calls it “12 Days of a Helping Hand.”

Instead of her regular blog documenting her holiday cooking, she has decided to commit 12 days during the holiday months of November and December to volunteer. She is calling it, “12 Days of a Helping Hand.”

“Everyone always has excuses for the holidays: ‘Oh, I didn’t get around to it, oh this is the busiest time,’ so it’s a good goal and a good thing to do,” Tronick said.

From Colorado, Tronick said she would be doing most of her volunteer work there. She said there are many shelters and food banks she will be involved with.

One organization she is excited to help with is The Crossing, where she would provide enough money for a family to buy a llama in a different country.

The 12 days will not be consecutive. Tronick said when she goes home over Thanksgiving break, she would be able to cross three or four days off the list, followed by finishing the rest over winter break.

Tronick said her family will be participating in the events with her. She said it has been driven into her that a way to spend her time was to help people in need.

“I think that time is more valuable than a check,” Tronick said.

Tronick said she has a personal blog which she describes as her “everything blog.”

In addition, she has done a couple different countdowns. In 2012, Tronick baked something new every day for 25 days in December to celebrate the holidays.

She also had a blog featuring a Valentine’s Day countdown.

While the previous countdowns are on different sites, Tronick said she is working to get them integrated into a single blog.

Morgan Lunz, a close friend of Tronick’s, said she thinks doing this in a blog is a good idea.

“A lot of people our age don’t do blogs and it’s a unique way for Nadia to portray herself,” Lunz said.

Lunz hopes people will see the importance of blogging, and can see a lot of girls appreciating Tronick’s with craft ideas and recipes she has tried out.

Tronick said she does not volunteer to benefit herself, but believes even the smallest things count.

“I’m doing it because I truly just like to help people in any way I can, definitely during the holidays when it’s needed,” Tronick said.

She said she hopes her blog will be an inspiration for others to volunteer, as she is one of numerous people on campus who lead a busy life. Tronick’s older sister, Shannon Mihaly, can attest to this.

“She’s a busy student, it being her last year of college, with a full work load and an internship, but it shows a lot that with her free time she wants to do something more than kicking back,”Mihaly said.

She said Nadia has volunteered at a week-long camp for kids with special needs in the past, and has seen that as a reason to give back.

She said although it is hard not living near each other, she plans to volunteer alongside her sister to assist in fulfilling her blog’s goal.

When the pair is home for Thanksgiving break, she said they plan to run a race for charity, exercising for a good cause.

Reach columnist Josie Flatgard at [email protected]