Volunteering yourself for things that are close to your heart is the best way to spend some of your free time. I am not going to deep dive into all of the millions of things you can do to make the world a better place. Instead, I am going to focus on the organizations that I involve myself with. These are not necessarily things that will change the world but are things that I am passionate about. This is why I labeled them more as “extracurriculars” as opposed to volunteer work. This clarification needed to be made, and now we can proceed.
My NKBA Involvement
We’ve already chatted a little about the National Kitchen and Bath Association (NKBA). But let’s recap. I received one of my degrees from their accredited program from Virginia Tech in 2013. I achieved my Association Kitchen and Bath Designer (AKBD) appellation in 2016 and leveled-up to my current Certified Kitchen and Bath Designer (CKBD) appellation in 2020. I also earned my Remodeling Specialty Badge in 2020. They inducted me into the NKBA Thirty under 30 class of 2017. And I became a CEU speaker through their national Chapter Presentation Program in 2019 with my “Navigating Social Media and Creating Your Content Calendar” 1-hour session.
Needless to say, I feel like they have given me a lot of opportunity and experience, so I like to give back as much as I can. When I moved to Dallas I spent some time getting used to my new surroundings and became heavily involved in our local Texas North Plains chapter the following year. I have been actively attending board and chapter meetings since 2016, joining as a task force member to help with Social Media. In 2019 I ran to be our local Programs Chair and was elected for the 2020-2021 cycle.
The NKBA and KBIS
Part of my current (as I write this) job is to come up with programming for my local chapter members. We meet almost monthly to mix and mingle, attend CEU courses and learn new things, meet new members, appreciate our local sponsors and so much more. Our best event of the year, however, comes every October. Did you know: October is National Kitchen and Bath Month? Well, you do now! Our local chapter has an annual Kitchen and Bath Month event (typically the third Wednesday in October) that is open to the public. Anyone and everyone can attend (COVID-19 pandemic aside) and enjoy food and drink free of charge. The first portion of the evening consists of meeting local designers and remodelers and see some of the work they have done over the previous year. You also get to be inspired by holiday-themed tablescapes. The second portion is a cooking demonstration where you get to see a local chef in action explaining cooking methods, appliances, and tricks of the trade. Then, you get to enjoy that meal! Mark your calendars!
At a national level, there is always one week a year that is set aside purely for this organization. This is the Kitchen and Bath Industry Show (KBIS). Typically held in late January-early February, it is the largest trade show in our industry as a part of Design Construction Week, partnering with the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) International Builders’ Show (IBS). I first attended KBIS in 2013 (the last year before the merger with IBS) as a student and it was otherworldly. The amount of educational events and exhibitors is mind-blowing and you can learn so much from only three days on the show floor. The next year I attended was in 2017 as a part of that year’s Thirty under 30 class, and have attended every year since. That year we were broken up into groups to present on different topics. My team spoke on Refurbishing and Repurposing materials in design.
KBIS always brings new design ideas and inspiration, as well as knowledge of new trends, materials, and overall knowledge from the industry experts. I could go on forever. Don’t worry – I won’t.
Virginia Tech Alumni Association
My second extracurricular activity is, of course, related to my alma mater. My four years at the most magical university was time well spent. And I feel that it is a necessity to continually give back to this community of higher education. I know most people probably give money here and there, but I prefer to give my time. I first became involved during my second college football season in Dallas because my significant other is an Aggie and I just couldn’t spend all my time watching SEC games. So, I went to my first Hokie football watch party and tried to insert myself into the organization. I immediately met the then-president and became the Liaison for New Members by reaching out to those who recently moved to the Dallas side of the metroplex. Slowly I became more involved and worked up to becoming our local Communications Chair.
My roles include monitoring our inbox, sending emails to our members, maintaining the website and our social media platforms (Facebook and Instagram), and being active on board calls. My interest in starting this blog actually came from being able to play around on our new DFW Hokies Website and reminded me how much I even loved playing around in HTML back in my Myspace days. The marketing emails also familiarized me with other email campaigns (which I also do for work) and trying to capture an audience. DFW Hokies? Join our private Facebook group to keep in touch. I also sit as the Virginia Tech ambassador on the DFW ACC Fans where other ACC schools come together to create events for all local alumni groups to interact with each other. We have held joint watch parties with other schools like Clemson, and every year we aim to host an ACC holiday party. The party doubles as a Toy Drive where schools “compete” to donate the most. These gifts are then given to local children’s hospitals like Texas Scottish Rite Hospital and Children’s Health.
And that’s how I spend my “extracurricular” time outside of work, but that’s not all. See what I do in my free time in my When The Working Day Is Done blog.
The title song is “Give A Little Bit” by Supertramp
Find all of my blog title songs on my Spotify playlist
R Helene Design 
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