Seattlest Volunteer Spotlight: Seattle International Film Festival
Each week Seattlest highlights an individual whose philanthropic efforts are helping to make our fair city a better place. From environmental causes to the health and wellness of Seattleites and animals, we recognize that every contribution helps. We’ll also feature information as to how you can get involved. This week, Seattlest looks at the Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF).
Today, we recognize Lia Nigro. She started volunteering during the 2009 festival and enjoyed it so much she signed on as a year-round volunteer. In this role, Nigro gets an opportunity to be involved in every aspect of the organization, from behind the scenes tasks like answering phones and sending out donor mailings to serving as an usher at the festival. She feels the most rewarding part of volunteering with SIFF has been the ability to bring people together and develop community through cinema.
Seattle International Film Festival, now in its 36th year, is the largest in North America with more than 160,000 attendees at the 2009 event. Producing a festival of this size requires the help of dedicated volunteers like Nigro. If you’re contemplating getting involved, SIFF invites you to attend the annual volunteer meeting this Saturday, April 17 at 10:00 a.m. at the Egyptian Theatre. Nigro highly recommends volunteering with SIFF because it exposes you to great movies from all over the world. Plus, for every two hours of time donated volunteers are rewarded with a voucher for a free film ticket.
If you’re unable to volunteer, you can still support the organization the old-fashioned way: by coming out to see a film. With a selection ranging from foreign dramas to feature documentaries, there is sure to be something for everyone. And thanks to volunteers like Lia Nigro, the Seattle International Film Festival can continue to share the joys of cinema with the community.
