Volunteer Of The Month: Leah Paley Inspires Others To Give Back

When Oak Hill Elementary School's Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) needed a volunteer to serve as first vice president of fundraising, Leah Paley stepped forward.

“I knew they were struggling to find someone, so I threw my name in the hat,” Paley laughed, acknowledging that yes, hers was the only name.

Paley, whose son Hudson Merriman is a fifth grader at Oak Hill, has volunteered at the school since her daughter, Keegan Merriman, now an eighth grader, was in kindergarten. She has volunteered in numerous ways at school and community events and fundraisers, in addition to her full-time job as CEO of the Anne Arundel County Food Bank.

Last school year, Paley co-chaired the PTO's silent auction with her friend Laura Little, and they, with a team of hardworking volunteers, raised more than $31,000 for classroom SMART boards and other technology upgrades.

Paley is quick to praise her fellow PTO board members and their dedication to supporting the school.

 “There are seven of us on the board, and the other six have all been involved longer than I have, and they've been doing an incredible job,” she said.

Looking ahead, Paley tapped into her professional background in nonprofit leadership and thought as a parent to help encourage more people to volunteer.

 “I'm doing fundraising work every day in conversations with donors and identifying ways to increase giving to support our operations,” she said. “I think that lends itself to ideas and structure that have worked very well professionally and can translate to the school setting.”

As a busy parent, she understands the difficulties of adding more to the calendar and the many requests for help.

 “I know some of these events are a huge lift for those coordinating them,” she said. “I began thinking, are there ways we can still raise just as much money without making it such a huge lift for anyone who might be interested in chairing them?”

After some brainstorming, Paley shared ideas and suggestions for family-focused events that may be easier to run, along with streamlining creative communication with the board, and PTO members agreed to give them a try.

 “Now we are planning to have a pickleball tournament and a family-friendly 5K event. It’s early in the planning phase, but I'm excited that people have stepped up and expressed enthusiasm to make them successful,” Paley said.

In addition to fundraising with the PTO, Paley co-leads the school's monthlong Harvest for the Hungry: Kids Helping Kids Food and Fun Drive, benefiting the Anne Arundel County Food Bank. Oak Hill has ranked among the top schools for food donations for years.

Why does she volunteer when she is involved in so much already? Paley said she has a heart for the school and community. She also wants her children to lead a life of giving and serving.

“It's so important to set that example. I certainly learned it from my parents and my grandparents,” she said.

She includes Keegan and Hudson in volunteer work whenever possible. Hudson accompanies his mom to the store, helps select food for Harvest for the Hungry, and likes taking several items to school each day.

For the past four or five years, Paley has served as a neighborhood captain for the Good Neighbors Group's Souper Bowl food drive, benefiting local food pantries. Hudson and Keegan both help.

“On the day of the collection, Keegan has come with me to receive the donations. My son always helps me count our neighborhood's number of items donated,” she said.

Last Thanksgiving, Keegan joined her mom at a Brooklyn Park food distribution. “Teenagers don't like getting up early, but Keegan really enjoyed it and told me, ‘Mom, that wasn't that bad.’ She asked if we would be doing it again this year.”

Laura Little said of Paley, “I saw firsthand that not only is Leah a volunteer, but she has such grace, honesty and strength, with a conviction of justice and compassion, that I was just blown away.

“If we had more Leahs, I believe we could make such a huge difference in our community and beyond.”