🦁🎬 **Volunteer Spotlight Story:

The Thanksgiving Legend of Greathouse — Cindy**

As our Greathouse/Shryock families head into Thanksgiving break, gather around — because we have a tale to tell.
Not just any tale.
A tale of epic PTA proportions 😆
A tale of suspense, heroism, surprise… and a volunteer whose heart beat louder than the chaos around her.

This is the story of Cindy Evensen — though you may know her by a simpler title:
the hero who saved our fall.

🍂 Act I — The Calm Before the Storm

It all began with good intentions.
Our PTA chose Zeffy this year — a platform that keeps every penny of your membership dues in the hands of kids, not eaten by processing fees.

It was the right call.
The kind choice.
A decision made with families in mind.

But beneath the surface, a quiet challenge was growing…

Zeffy and Givebacks — the system that keeps us compliant with District, State, and National PTA — don’t speak the same language.
Every membership has to be checked…
matched…
verified…
aligned…
manually.

At first, no one realized the size of the wave forming.
Events were happening.
Programs were rolling.
Kids were learning.
And slowly, silently, the membership list grew heavier… and heavier… and heavier.

Until suddenly —
the storm hit.

Hundreds of records.
Dozens of missing fields.
Names to match, teachers to assign, emails to correct.
Work that should have been stretched across months…
now waiting all at once.

It felt impossible.

And that’s when the story turns.

🦸‍♀️✨ Act II — The Hero Steps In

In the middle of a chaotic, deadline-packed week…
in the middle of Reflections entries, club support, program planning, and everything else swirling around…

one volunteer stepped forward.

No alarm.
No drama.
Just steady courage and a quiet “I’ll handle it.”

Enter Cindy — our PTA’s own knight in shining armor.

What she did next?
Still gives us goosebumps.

In just one week — yes, ONE WEEK —
Cindy rebuilt the entire membership process from the ground up.

She plunged into every Zeffy submission…
matched nearly 470 Givebacks entries…
fixed missing info…
aligned students and teachers…
cleaned households, duplicates, emails…
and made sure every single family who joined was truly counted.

She took a mountain of work that normally spans 4–5 months
and completed it in days.

Meticulously.
Accurately.
And always with kids at the heart of it.

This wasn’t spreadsheet work.
This was PTA infrastructure surgery.
And she did it with the precision of a pro.

Her effort didn’t just “help.”
It protected our PTA’s good standing.
It ensured compliance at every level.
It saved deadlines.
It stabilized processes.
It strengthened the entire organization.

But wait —
the story isn’t done.

🌟 Act III — The Plot Twist

While rebuilding our membership system from scratch, Cindy ALSO:

✨ Processed every Reflections entry
✨ Submitted all entries before the Nov. 15 deadline
✨ Supported the apparel/spirit wear team
✨ Helped run Yearbook Club
✨ Stepped into volunteer gaps across programs
✨ Lifted morale with her calm, steady presence
✨ Made our entire PTA feel held, supported, and steady

Cindy didn’t just rise to the occasion.
She carried the occasion.
And she did it with quiet strength, humility, and a heart big enough for all our Lions.

🍁 Act IV — Gratitude

This Thanksgiving season, as we pause to reflect on the people who make our school feel like a family, we want every Greathouse/Shryock family to know:

Our PTA isn’t powered by titles.
It’s powered by people.
People like Cindy — who step into the hardest moments and turn them into success stories.

We are grateful for our students.
We are grateful for our staff.
We are grateful for our families.

And today…
we are especially grateful for Cindy.

Our hero.
Our anchor.
Our ray of sunshine during the busiest fall we’ve ever had.
Our PTA — and our school — is stronger because of her. 💚🦁✨