USO Naples - Q1 2023 Volunteer of the Quarter

Please join us in congratulating Erika Aragon on achieving USO Naples’ Q1 2023 Volunteer of the Quarter!

Since Erika’s first volunteer shift with the USO, she has been an incredible driving force for the team and community. She radiates a fun, positive energy and is extremely committed, reliable, and trustworthy. With her having only been on board for a little over a month, she already had volunteered herself as our Patriot Express Lead, ensuring that she preps for, attends, and facilitates the USO services for the bi-weekly early morning flights.

Over the last four and a half months, Erika has served over 100 total shifts - that’s more than 100 shifts in the last 131 days - almost a shift a day! Many times, she comes in to volunteer for one shift or program only to stay throughout the day and/or night to continue serving. For example, earlier this week, she came in at 0500 to open up the Capo Center for military families for a Patriot Express flight, only to stay through the day until after 1300 for our Sailor Showdown program to serve our troops.

Beyond the role as our Patriot Express Lead, Erika has also had a hand in supporting some of our most memorial and impactful programs over the last few months as well to include our SpookTRUNKular Halloween program, Thanks-Filled Luncheon, Thanksgiving Cookie Delivery, USS George H.W. Bush Outreach, Ho Ho Holiday Brunch, Jingle & Mingle, and USO’s 82nd Birthday Celebration. The distinguishing feature here is that Erika didn’t just support the execution of these events, but she was heavily involved in the preparation for all of them. She spent hours painting decorations for our trunk, she spent almost every day for an entire week prepping the dishes for our Thanks-Filled Luncheon, she served multiple days and hours prepping goody bags and manning the outreach table for the ship visit, she helped decorate the Center for the USO Birthday Celebration, and currently, she’s baking and frosting over 200 cupcakes for our upcoming Daddy Daughter Dance – and that’s just a couple of examples.

We are so grateful for Erika and her unwavering passion and commitment. We can say, without a doubt, that this award was so well-deserved. Thank you, Erika, for your outstanding contribution to our community, and congratulations!