Valuing volunteer voices with Cheli Mohamed

Have you ever wanted to do something impactful for your community? Three words could guide you: Volunteer with Cheli. That’s not just a friendly suggestion, but the name of an active community organization. Volunteer with Cheli (VWC) is the dedicated enterprise of Araceli “Cheli” Mohamed that exemplifies the strength of community involvement.

countcheli — Volunteer with Cheli coordinated a group of participants in the annual We All Count morning when a census of unhoused neighbors is conducted across San Diego.

Volunteer with Cheli’s dedicated crew of 300 people have logged thousands of hours, serving 35 organizations. That’s a big jump from its origin as a Facebook page in 2014 with 18 volunteers. The organization VWC gained non-profit status in 2017. Mohamed developed the purpose of the organization, as stated in its mission: “to ENGAGE, INSPIRE, and EMPOWER the LGBTQ+ Community and our allies to be catalysts for change across our collective and diverse communities through volunteer service.”

Where exactly can you find these varied volunteers? There are sports events: U.S. Police & Fire Championships, West Coast Gaelic 7 Sports, the Rock & Roll Marathon, the Leprechaun Run, Stepping Stone Recovery Run and Paddle for Clean Water. They have high visibility at the San Diego Pride Festival Information Booth, Out at the State Fair, Mama’s Kitchen Thanksgiving Pies sale and the Scott Carlson Community Thanksgiving Dinner. CASA Voices for Children is another important project.

Mohamed developed her leadership skills, before beginning her own enterprise, by leading volunteers at San Diego Pride and the San Diego LGBT Community Center. At Pride, she lead over 1000 volunteers as the leadership and community resources director. She took on a similar role at the Center as director of volunteer services, leadership and community resources.

chelitea — Mohamed at her first day of volunteering at Scripps Cancer Center, which she said was her way of saying thank you to doctors, nurses, staff and volunteers who helped during her cancer journey.

Governor Gavin Newsom recognized her leadership with her appointment to the State Volunteer Commission, a panel of 25 who promote civic service and volunteerism to meet the state’s most pressing needs.

In the fall of ’23, the energetic Mohamed was slowed down with a diagnosis of Ovarian cancer. At first, she thought, “I had to put Volunteer with Cheli to the side.” But, amazingly, the group’s board, leadership team and volunteers stepped up to continue their work. A year later, Mohamed now volunteers at Scripps Cancer Center, the hospital where she received her chemo treatments. Mohamed, and the team of volunteers she developed, are an unstoppable force. To get involved, visit volunteerwithcheli.org.