It was 2:29pm, and I heard a knock—I was so busy getting the room ready that I hadn’t noticed the police officer’s approach. I waved at him through the glass door, shuffled past the ball wall and the tables and reading nook, and hurried over to let him in. “Hi! I’m so glad you could make it!” I told him as I opened and unlocked the EmPower Place’s door. Career Day was about to begin!

The EmPower Place is a collaboration between the Missoula Food Bank & Community Center, the Missoula Public Library, and the spectrUM Discovery Area. Because of this, it has free snacks and meals for kids, shelves and shelves of fun library books, and interactive science installments for kids to play with. I first heard of it soon after I had moved to Missoula, a little over two years ago. You see, after my spouse and I got our bachelor’s degrees, we moved our little family here without knowing anyone in the area and without jobs securely lined up, so we relied a lot on free and low-cost community resources—including the Food Bank and the EmPower Place.

Fast forward two years, and I got an email from the Food Bank saying they were looking for an AmeriCorps Leader to serve in the EmPower Place. I was just reentering the workforce after spending three years as a stay-at-home dad, so this was the perfect opportunity. I’d be able to use my nutrition degree! I’d be able to use my experience with kids’ programs! I’d be able to serve in my community! I’d be able to join the wonderful network of AmeriCorps members! (To say the least, I was excited!)

So there I was, a few months later, sitting in the EmPower Place with a police officer, a pediatric dentist, a paramedic, a teacher, a chef— and a bunch of school kids. I had made a sort of bingo sheet for kids to write on as they asked these professionals questions about their careers, and I gave out prizes to everyone who completed them. I watched them be SO CUTE while asking for pictures with the police officer. I helped them color pictures of the teacher and the paramedic. And, best of all, I got compliments.

I had been so nervous for this activity— so anxious for it to go well. I had spent much of my planning time over the last month contacting local professionals, scheduling the activity, and collaborating with Gabe Alderson, another AmeriCorps Leader serving at the Montana Department of Labor. After all this, I wanted so badly for kids to come, to learn, to have fun. I wanted the professionals I invited to feel valued and useful to these kids.

It happened! Parents kept coming over and thanking me: “Everett had so much fun! Thank you so much for putting this together, it was really an excellent activity. Please do it again!” The professionals I had invited thanked me as well: “Thank you so much for inviting me—I would be happy to attend again!”

I was so glad. I felt like I was doing something useful. I felt like I was doing something of value. Because I was: I was helping the community connect to itself, and I was helping these kids see who they could grow up to be.