I began with Tickets for Kids as a summer intern in 2018, but one summer wasn’t enough! I’m happy to be back and rejoining the TFK staff as a full-time program associate.

I first encountered Tickets for Kids at a University of Pittsburgh job fair. I was a junior majoring in Economics at the time and not sure what kind of career I was called to. So, I set out with two criteria: I wanted a company that was passionate about helping people, and one that could help me grow my skills. When I met the TFK staff, I was drawn to their mission and the culture they had built around it. I quickly decided that TFK was where I wanted to be.

Even though I was excited about the opportunity, I had no idea what to expect. I had never set foot in the office of a nonprofit, much less worked in one. All of my work experience had been in athletics: refereeing, lifeguarding, and coaching soccer, basketball, and swimming. Much like TFK’s mission, I had been helping kids grow through activities, but I’d been doing so with a much different skill set.

Despite this uncertainty, I quickly came to love working at Tickets for Kids. In taking on a variety of assignments, I found myself using old skills in new ways. For example, in studying economics at Pitt, I had written essays in most of my classes and felt comfortable as a writer. During my internship, I worked on two reports. These had a lot in common with the essays I had written for school. I combined critical thinking and statistical metrics in order to analyze process efficiency. However, I wasn’t writing for a professor. I had to streamline my writing and write more concretely than before. My internship forced me to make these kinds of little adjustments every day and built my skills in new ways.

So, when I was about to graduate and was offered the opportunity to come back to TFK, I jumped at the chance. My new role will have a lot in common with my internship. I’ll be supporting both the ticket distribution and development, so I’ll be wearing a lot of hats, just like before. I’m most excited to continue helping kids have access to the amazing experiences that TFK provides. It’s great to see how much good a small organization can do, and I’m blessed to be a part of it.

by Patrick McDunn, Program Associate

Serving at Tickets for Kids Charities as a Program Associate and PULSE Fellow over the past four months has been an enriching and rewarding experience. When my peers and professors at Carnegie Mellon asked me about my post-graduate plans, I was never able to give an exact answer. My parents always encouraged me to study what I was passionate about, so I pursued a B.A. in Global Studies and French. I found amazing success and gratification through studying what I felt passionate about, so when I was presented with the opportunity to work in France as an English Language Assistant for seven months, I decided to give teaching a try. And while living and working in France was extremely formative and memorable, I did not find teaching to be as rewarding as I anticipated.

When my teaching contract ended in April, I looked for job opportunities that would create meaningful and positive change. I was confident that searching for said-opportunity would fulfill my wish to pursue work that I felt passionate about, which led me to PULSE: Pittsburgh Urban Leadership Service Experience. PULSE’s mission is to cultivate a community of young servant leaders to transform Pittsburgh through a year of service. In addition to living in an intentional community (sharing a house with six other fellows) and training in personal and professional development, PULSE fellows serve 35 hours a week at nonprofits across Pittsburgh. It is through PULSE that I was given the opportunity to partner with Tickets for Kids Charities.

I was instantly drawn to Tickets for Kids because of its mission to provide kids with access to events that they normally would not have the opportunity to experience. Growing up in Pittsburgh, my fondest childhood memories are from attending Pirate’s games, going to museums, and most notably seeing the Nutcracker Ballet every Christmas with my mom. Knowing that I am helping to provide kids in Pittsburgh and across the U.S. with similar opportunities gives true meaning to the work that I’m doing.

One of the favorite parts of my job has been receiving direct feedback from events. Just the other day I received a heartwarming hand-written thank you note from a kid who attended a football game. Receiving this kind of feedback is extremely rewarding, because I am truly able to see how remarkable and impactful TFK’s mission is.

I understand why the work ethic at Tickets for Kids is so contagious – every staff member is motivated and passionate about TFK’s mission -- and I look forward to continuing to work alongside my colleagues for the next year to continue to provide TFK Kids with amazing and memorable opportunities and experiences.

-Casey Devine

TFK Kids Experience The Majestic Animals Of The Jungle

Thanks to a generous donation from new partner organization Big Cat Habitat & Gulf Coast Sanctuary, TFK Kids from Coastal Behavioral Healthcare, Inc. had the opportunity to learn about the exotic cats and other distinctive species that populate this large-animal rescue facility in Sarasota, Florida.

Chaperone Jeremiah Radle commented, “This was a one-of-a-kind experience for our kids to engage in and learn about our animal friends.

“Given the opportunity to interact with exotic animals from around the globe, the kids’ fears quickly changed to curiosity.

“We learned that Big Cat Habitat houses the largest population of big cat species around and rescues a variety of animals,” Radle continued. “We were educated on the dangers of owning wild animals as pets and the difference between animal rights and animal welfare. 

“The boys gained a new respect for the animals. Overall, we had an amazing and enlightening experience and are very appreciative to Big Cat Habitat for inviting us to come.”

Thank you, Big Cat Habitat & Gulf Coast Sanctuary, for not only educating these TFK Kids, but also for providing an opportunity to explore this unique environment.