Julia Gaubatz, 16, has been a dancer for 12 years, and this love brought her to CPCD, Community Partnership for Child Development.

“I ended up quitting [dancing] to focus more on school,” she said. “But I really wanted to stay involved.”

She knew that dance was an expensive activity, so she wanted to find a way to offer dance to those who may not otherwise have the opportunity to experience it, for free. Her parents suggested CPCD, and she has now been volunteering there for many months, teaching dance to children after school.

According to the Empty Stocking Fund website, CPCD provides over 2,000 children with an early childhood education who may be challenged by life circumstances or poverty. It collaborates with the community to support children through different programs while not only working with just the children, but also with their families.

“I contacted them because they seemed perfect,” Gaubatz said. “They impact a lot of kids who don’t have privileges.”

Gaubatz said she teaches every two weeks, and has two classes of 15 children who are between 3-5 years old. She said a lot of the children have unique personal situations, and that by being there, she is another constant in their life, which is very helpful.

“I think it probably helps me more than it helps them to be totally honest,” she said. “It is amazing to watch them grow over the year.”

Gaubatz also said that in addition to providing classes for children, CPCD provides them for their parents.

“They are really setting up the family for success later on,” she said. “I think it is really great how they impact the whole family, and not just the kids.”