The Volunteer View

This month we sat down to talk with IVE parent volunteer Cara Kovac. Cara is the Chairman of the Fall and Spring Scholastic Book Fairs and she also leads the IVE Yearbook Committee. Cara’s enthusiasm for IVE is simply amazing!

Reporter : I understand that a second book fair is scheduled this month at IVE. Why do we have Book Fairs?

Cara : Enhancing and encouraging the love of reading is so very important for children at the elementary school age. If reading is only portrayed as homework or assignments, I believe that children can lose their excitement for it.  Having the book fairs at our school encourages the fun and social side of reading. It is really exciting to hear the children during our Book Fair, "Oh, I read that book last year and I really enjoyed it - you should read it too and we can talk about my favorite character in it."

Reporter : I have seen “BOGO” advertised with the Spring Book Fair. Can you explain what that means?

Cara : BOGO" stands for "Buy One Get One Free". All of the profits from the Fall Book Fair go towards purchasing more books for the IVE library. We sold over $10,000 in books during the last fair, which means that Mrs. Ritchie was gifted $5,000 in new books for our children. During the BOGO Book Fair, all of the profits go back to the children purchasing the books. This is a wonderful opportunity to update your child's library at home at a great price.

Reporter : What types of books can we expect to see on sale at the Book Fair?

Cara : Scholastic is just fabulous about sending a wonderful variety of books. They will have all of the latest best sellers as well as the classic books for our children. Scholastic knows that we have had amazing Family Events at our school and they will be sending a wonderful selection of adult books too.

Reporter : Is there a special family event at the Spring Book Fair?

Cara : Yes! We are having another wonderful Evening Event on March 12th. Our theme this year is "Think Green" in honor of St. Patrick's Day. You can come dressed in green ~ you can color your hair green ~ you can come dressed up as a leprechaun!  Use your imagination and go wild! The event will be held from 5:30 to 8:30. Refreshments will be served and we will have drawings for many free books for the children!

Reporter : How can I volunteer to help?

Cara : If you would like to volunteer during the Book Fair, please contact Tanya Alter at tm_alter@yahoo.com.  It is very easy to work at the Book Fair and it is a lot of fun!

Reporter : In addition to being the Chair of our two Book Fairs this year, I understand that you are also the Chair of the Yearbook Committee. Is there still time to order a Yearbook?

Cara: You can still order a yearbook. If you do not have an order form, they are available at the front office. Please return your completed order form to the front office. We will also have some yearbooks for sale at the end of the year. However, it is best to order now so that you are guaranteed a book for your child.

Reporter : How much does the Yearbook cost and will there be pictures of students in all grades?

Cara : The yearbook costs $13 and I am trying very hard to make sure that every student at IVE is in the yearbook. Of course we have some students that are very involved in many activities at school; therefore, we might see them a few times in the yearbook. However, every child is precious and I want to make sure that they all see their faces in the yearbook.

Reporter : Is there anything special about the 2007-2008 Yearbook that you would like to share?

Cara : The IVE Yearbook is going to be wonderful this year! We are really thinking about what the children would like to see and how best to express the excitement of our children during the school year. We have one page just for funny faces. I know that this is going to be a big hit for the children! Personally, I still have all of my old yearbooks and I love seeing my old friends being silly and having fun.

Reporter: Why did you agree to lead both Book Fairs and the Yearbook?

Cara : My children are only going to be young for a small amount of time and I want to be as active as I can while they want me in their classes and at their school. I love photography and wanted to help produce the yearbook. IVE has had remarkable yearbooks in the past and I am hoping that this year we can create another yearbook that the children will truly enjoy for the rest of their lives. I also enjoying working with the Book Fairs at IVE. I love to see the excitement on the children's faces as they walk into the library after we have set up all of the books and displays.

Reporter : How many people are working with you on the Book Fair? What about the Yearbook?

Cara: I have the best volunteers at the school!  Tanya Alter is just amazing and runs so much of the book fair.  She organizes all of the volunteers and there are about 20 amazing parents that come in during the fair to help out. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

I also have an amazing group of parents helping me organize the pictures for the yearbook.  Birgit Aarested, Ana Inman, Alex Tinsman, Brenda Laurance, Brenda Lam, Jodi Boatright, Katie Milne, Kerri Jensen, Kim Murphy, Joanna Bayron, Liz Rudolph have all been just wonderful to work with!  I truly could not have done this yearbook without all of their help!

Reporter: Are you originally from the Pacific Northwest?

Cara : I was born and raised in Los Gatos, California in the Bay Area. I went to college at UC Irvine and had never really spent much time in the NW. My sister moved up here and I came to visit her for a weekend. It was a gorgeous weekend and I moved up here about a month later. That was about 17 years ago. Sometimes I miss the sunshine in California - but I would never move away from Issaquah. I truly love it here now!

Reporter : Can you tell us a little about your family?

Cara : I met my husband Chris during high school. We became best friends during our college years and then fell in love during a trip to Europe. We have been married for almost 13 years and I truly have married the best man! Chris and I have been blessed with two fun and wild boys. Josh is in the third grade and Luka is in first grade. We love their high energy and constant enthusiasm for life! We are also really lucky to live close to my sister and my parents. Family and friends are the most important part of our lives!

Reporter : Can you share a little about either your current or previous work experience -include anything that might have helped prepare you for these events?

Cara : I am currently working for a company called The Finest Accessories In-Home. I have my own boutique of gorgeous fashion merchandise including purses, wallets, hair accessories, jewelry and more. I helped the CEO of The Finest Accessories launch the home party division of her business over 3.5 years ago. I love being the first consultant in an amazing business. However, my first priority is my family. I am so fortunate to have a job that is extremely flexible and allows me to be with my boys and husband whenever I want. It also allows me to have fun social time with amazing women and make an amazing salary. It is a win-win type of job for me.

Reporter : What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?

Cara : I love working and being in my garden in my spare time. It is truly amazing to have a moment to sit in a quiet backyard and listen to the sounds of your garden. It doesn't happen often, but when it does - it is wonderful!

Reporter: Name one thing that most people would be surprised to learn about you.

Cara : I really don't have a lot that would surprise my friends. I guess I could say that I jumped out of an airplane once - but then again - that probably wouldn't surprise some people.

 

Thank you Cara for all you do for IVE and our students!