Volunteering: AnnaMarie Knorr an advocate for education

Serving on the Maricopa Unified School District is the mother of all volunteer gigs. So, it makes sense that Knorr, a mother of four, would choose to serve her community that way.

Not every volunteer position requires winning a city-wide election just for the privilege of being criticized and insulted for decisions you’ve made — and think are in the best interests of students and teachers.
So why do it?

“I believe in community, and the importance of being active in your community, and helping make it a better place,” said Knorr, community outreach coordinator at Exceptional Community Hospital — Maricopa. “Schools and children in the community are our most important asset. When I got involved with schools and started seeing how people were dealing with budget cuts and things like that, I knew we needed to have a voice from a parent on the board, so now here I am.”

The criticism that comes with her position — especially in today’s polarized climate — doesn’t bother her. She has been on the governing board for nine years; her first of three winning campaigns was in 2012.

“I don’t have a problem with people disagreeing with me,” Knorr said. “When I make a decision that I believe is in the best interests of the students in our schools, I can live with any criticism I might get. But not everyone is OK with that, and those people should look for other opportunities.”

Knorr said the driving force behind her volunteerism is the belief in the importance of community. She feels everyone has a duty to try to make their city better in some way. And by doing that, personal gratification follows.

“Every student that walks across that stage on graduation night to get their diploma is rewarding to me,” Knorr said. “To know I was a small part of that and helped make it possible is rewarding. Things like helping create the RAM Academy, which allows those kids who needed it to get on with their lives and graduate, was rewarding. The implementation of our preschool, with teachers giving these kids such a leg up by having that early learning opportunity, is rewarding. It was something lacking in Maricopa and now it’s not. It’s everything the district provides that helps these kids succeed.”

Read about more volunteers.

This content was first published in the April edition of InMaricopa magazine.