Volunteer Spotlight: Audrey Romonosky
To kick off 2024, we are spotlighting someone who has been volunteering with Austin Creative Reuse for over 5 years - Audrey Romonosky! She is a talented card maker and sews beautiful quilts, both for family and Linnus Connection. We are always delighted to see her in VolunteerLand on Mondays and are so happy to have her on the team! Learn more about her below.
What motivates you to volunteer?
I’m retired, so volunteering makes me feel like I’m still a productive member of society. I started out volunteering to measure fabric but realized that I was spending too much money so I switched to shelving. When Madison came on board as volunteer coordinator, she asked me if I could sort magazines, so that’s my main responsibility now. It’s unbelievable how many magazines are donated each week and I enjoy sorting them into categories, labeling the containers and putting them into back stock each week. Of course, I glance at the covers and if something looks interesting, I leaf through it. Magazines are 5 for a dollar right now, so I usually buy 5 each week.
How long have you volunteered with ACR?
I started volunteering at ACR in 2019 when it was located at the Linc, but I became a core volunteer during Covid. Core volunteers are able to sign up for take home projects and volunteering gave me something productive to do while we were isolating. My husband is immuno compromised so volunteering on Mondays when the center is closed to the public feels safer to me, even now that activities are more back to normal.
Are you more into the arts aspect of ACR or the conservation aspect and why?
This question is a hard one to answer because I have always been a supporter of Reuse, Reduce, and Recycle. I have really fond memories of shopping at flea markets and garage sales with my parents as a child. I’ve been a crafter since 3rd grade when we embroidered bookmarks at school for our moms for Mothers Day. My main hobbies are quilting, machine embroidery and paper crafting, but I also make jewelry and knit or crochet occasionally. I love shopping at ACR and have purchased many of my supplies there. I also enjoy sharing my love for crafting by leading workshops and make and takes.
What do you enjoy the most out of volunteering at ACR?
What I enjoy most about ACR is being part of a community. The staff, volunteers and customers are all so friendly and I always feel good when I leave, whether I was there for teaching a class or make and take, volunteering sorting magazines or shopping.
Tell us about your most recent creative project!
I made the green sparkly top in my photo from some fabric I picked up from the community exchange table at my quilt guild meeting!
I also volunteer with Linus Connection, a nonprofit that provides quilts to children in the community. I donated 10 quilts this year. A few of the quilts started from quilt blocks that I purchased at ACR.
