I like to sleep.  A lot.  I go to bed early, I wake up late, and I rarely make it out of bed without hitting the snooze button at least twice.  I’ve even streamlined my morning routine to a 20-minute process to maximize my morning sleep time.  I once cut off most of my hair to cut back crucial blow-drying time.

But on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, my alarm goes off at 5am.  I hit snooze once, maybe.  I drag myself out of bed, pull on a mismatch of running clothes, put an old hat over the aforementioned short hair, clatter down the stairs, and jog out my door, Park Street-bound, to meet my running team.

But I get ahead of myself – you don’t even know who I am.

I’m Meg.  I grew up in Southeastern Massachusetts, attended Worcester’s College of the Holy Cross, and completed my law degree at the University of Connecticut in Hartford. At 27 years old, I’m a lawyer by training but a communications specialist in practice.  I’ve worked for the government, private industry, and nonprofits, though most recently I’m in a communications role at a quasi-public entity.

Maybe it’s my government background (I’m here to help!) or the tradition of service ingrained into me in college (men & women for others), but it’s public service that drags me out of bed on those cold weekday mornings.

What’s charity got to do with my poorly-dressed morning runs?  It isn’t just about the run: it’s about the team.  Because I get out of bed to run with a team of homeless men and women from Downtown Crossing’s Boston Rescue Mission.

The team is organized and administered by the great folks at Back On My Feet, a 501(c)3 that teams shelter residents with volunteer non-residents to help the residents get – you guessed it – back on their feet.  Through this group, I’ve met some inspiring people and I’ve actually been inspired myself, to get more involved.  That’s just one of the reasons I contacted ONEin3.

What does this have to do with you?  As the newest ONEIn3 blogger, I aim to help one-in-three Bostonians navigate the tricky terrain of volunteerism: finding a worthwhile charity, understanding what makes a good volunteer, knowing the application process, figuring out what’s the best fit for you, and deciding what looks best on grad school apps (what? I know that’s what you’re doing).

So, there’s the introduction to me.  Gives you a little idea of how much I like to sleep (8.5 hours per night) and what gets me out of the bed in the morning (running with the homeless – I know, it sounds weird).  Thank you in advance for what I imagine is a warm welcome, and I’m looking forward to contributing!