In addition to serving athletes and protecting the integrity of sport, USADA staff members are committed to giving back to their communities in a variety of capacities and with various organizations in Colorado and beyond. USADA encourages and supports volunteer work through its Volunteer Program. The Program ensures that full-time staff members have 25 hours of volunteer leave each year, which they can use to support meaningful initiatives that they care about.

As part of the program, two USADA staff members are volunteering with Penrose Hospital and Girl Scouts of the USA.

John Zay Guest House at Penrose Hospital

Lisa Voight, TrueSport Business Development Manager, is a volunteer at Penrose Hospital’s John Zay Guest House, which is a home away from home for cancer patients and their families living more than 30 miles outside of Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Lisa and her twin daughters volunteer by making a meal for 27 guests the first Wednesday of the month. They plan the meal, shop for ingredients, prepare the food, and deliver dinner to the guests. Sometimes, they also stay for dinner and get to know the people staying at the house. Lisa also helps her daughters organize their sport teams to make and deliver comfort bags to welcome new guests.

“We have been volunteering with the John Zay Guest House for five years and love supporting the Chaplin at the house, Sister Lou, and all the guests,” explains Lisa.

Girl Scouts of the USA

USADA’s Digital Communications Manager, Betsy Douglass, currently volunteers for Girls Scouts of the USA as a Girl Scout Troop Leader in Colorado Springs, where she supports a troop of 11 first and second grade girls (Daisies and Brownies).

Betsy started a troop because she wanted to share the scouting experience with her 

daughter as her troop leader. “When you become a parent, you start to remember the traditions and experiences you had as a child, and you want your child to have those same opportunities,” explains Betsy. “Growing up, my mom was my troop leader from a very young age through high school, helping me earn my Gold Award, which is the Girl Scout’s highest honor. For me, scouting was a wonderful way to learn more about the world around me, experience outdoor settings that I might not otherwise be exposed to, and learn what it means to give back. “

Through her volunteer role, Betsy hopes to instill a sense of leadership, self-awareness, confidence, and stewardship toward the planet among the girls in the troop, all while having a little fun.

“I have such fond memories of my scouting days – singing songs with my troop; going to overnight camp; making floats for the holiday parades in my hometown; and a 7-day sailing trip in the Atlantic Ocean that all taught me how to use my limited resources wisely in a small space and the importance of teamwork in the middle of nowhere – and I hope she will too,” says Betsy.