N‑able VoluNteer Spotlight: Laurie Mills

We love to share how N-ablites across our 15 Collaboration Hubs make the most of their two fully paid VoluNteer Days each year. We’re so proud of all the ways N-ablites come together to serve their communities. The result is a culture that’s driving progress, changing lives and making a bigger impact – one story at a time.

This time we’re checking in with Laurie Mills, a Senior Program Manager in our Dundee Hub. Laurie and her fellow N-ablites have been taking care of their local natural environment and creating learning opportunities for the entire community through Scottish Countryside Ranger’s Association.

Laurie, tell us why you love to support Scottish Countryside Ranger’s Association.

One of my fellow N-ablites, Fiona, reached out to our local Hub asking if anyone would be interested in serving this organization and I was so excited to participate! We have volunteered as a group a few times now – the first time was in December on a cold, but sunny day! It was a chance to get out in the fresh air and tend to the local environment, and I love that each time we return, we get to add on to the work we did the last time to create a space that can be used by the Dundee community and give children a great place to go explore.

What were your duties while volunteering?

We spent most of our time cultivating the garden and helping with landscaping. We planted bulbs, trees, and flowers, cleared up storm damage, picked up litter and marked out new routes through the forest for people to hike. Our biggest achievement was helping set up a “Living Sundial”, where instead of having a fixed point to cast the shadow to tell the time, the person standing there casts the shadow to tell the time! This provides a fun, interactive way for people to engage with the local environment.

Which N‑able value do you feel like you were able to display on your VoluNteer Day and why?

I think we’ve displayed all of them! Even in the rain, we were all working together to N-Joy the Journey. The feedback and buzz created after the first opportunity has meant that nearly every VoluNteer Day since has been maxed out with participants, which means we have been able to N-spire Others to join us each year. Finally, we N-rich Lives by contributing to the learning experience for volunteers and creating more places for our community to enjoy nature. I’ve loved working as a team to achieve a common goal and help the countryside ranger vision come to life!

Thank you, Laurie, for sharing your story with us, for your passion for service and showing us what it means to be an N-ablite. Stay tuned for more inspiring stories like Laurie’s from our N-ablites across the globe. In the meantime, check out some of our other VoluNteer Spotlights:

• Adrian Popescu
• Raleigh-Durham and Boston Collaboration Hubs
• Yakau Shtykau
• Britney Prajapati
• Solutions Engineering Team
• Kenneth Rountree
• Emily Hirsch