USO Naples Volunteer of the Month - November 2022

If you’ve come to any of our programs over the last two months, chances are, you’ve been greeted by the smiling and contagious energy of our incredible November Volunteer of the Month, Erika Aragon. While Erika just began volunteering with us a couple of months ago, she has immediately made a huge impact. In just two months, Erika has served well over 100 hours, waking up early morning to serve as our Patriot Express Lead, ensuring that military families have the comforts of home here in our Capo Center, and volunteering for almost all of our different programs to include Sailor Showdown, Troop Time, Area Orientation support, and most recently, our Thanks-Filled Luncheon. Erika volunteered 21 hours in one week for the preparation and execution of that heartfelt program, and it wouldn’t have gone off as flawlessly as it did without her. As you can tell, Erika has made such a huge impact on USO Naples and the entire community, and we are so extremely blessed to have her on the team.

Erika comes to us originally from Virginia Beach, Virginia, and is a prior Navy Brat and current military spouse. While she had already planned to come volunteer with the USO before they even PCS’d, she happened to attend a Coffee Connections event and shared, “when I went to a Coffee Connections and saw how fun, personable and outgoing the staff was, I knew I wanted to start volunteering sooner rather than later and talked to someone that day. I wanted to start volunteering here immediately to be able to connect with more people - both Italian and American, feel more at home with living on a base, and feel as if I had a purpose or role in this community.” Her favorite programs to support are the weekly, recurring ones on Capo - both Sailor Showdown and Troop Time - as she really loves directly serving our service members and brightening a little part of their day. In her spare time, she enjoys running, hiking, and exploring the mountains.

Please join us in congratulating Erika on earning November 2022 Volunteer of the Month. Erika, you’re an inspiration to us all. Thank you and keep spreading that joy and happiness in the community! #USONaples #BeTheForce #USOVolunteer