Deborah Yurkunas wears many hats: graphic designer, personal chef, and mother to a five-year old son, just to name a few. But there is another hat that Yurkunas is proud to wear each year in the fall - one that is perhaps less glamorous and less spoken-about, but nonetheless of vital importance to hundreds of local people. Yurkunas is a volunteer for the Emergency Family Assistance Association, or EFAA.

With facilities in Boulder, Longmont and Lafayette, EFAA exists to help meet the basic needs of Boulder and Broomfield County residents. EFAA places a special focus on families with children who are facing temporary financial hardship due to circumstances beyond their control.

Yurkunas's role at EFAA is a unique one-she is a member of the EFAA Fundraising Guild that is responsible for EFFA's premier fundraising event, known as "Celebration." In its 16th year, Celebration is being held on October 27, 2007 at the Omni Interlocken Hotel in Broomfield. This is the third year Yurkunas has managed the silent auction.

To prepare for the event, Yurkunas starts the seemingly endless planning eight months in advance. She coordinates the gathering of hundreds of exciting donations, the activities of her silent auction volunteer staff and of course, the writing of thank you notes to each of the businesses and individuals who support EFAA in this way. Each year Yurkunas has managed this huge endeavor with aplomb. A wide variety of interesting items are available for purchase at the event. As with her graphic design and personal chef businesses, she enjoys putting her creative juices to the test.

With 14% of Boulder residents living at or below the poverty level (a figure higher than the national average) and county statistics showing equally alarming percentages, Yurkunas is acutely aware of how important Celebration's fundraising goals are. "What better place to fight hunger and homelessness than right here in our own communities," Yurkunas says. With the Guild's help, she is confident she will meet and hopefully surpass last year's event goal of $300,000. "I hope the event will be a call to action for eager volunteers. Every little bit helps, even if it's just the night of the event," she adds.

For information about volunteering with the Emergency Family Assistance Association (EFAA) or other agencies, call the Volunteer Connection at 303-444-4904, or go to our Volunteer Central.