Service with a Smile: New CROYA Youth Worker Helps Create Meaningful Volunteer Opportunities

By David A. F. Sweet

For about 18 months, Sophie Lupini worked with youth in detention facilities only a few miles north of Lake Forest.

“I loved it. I loved them,” she said. “But I felt someone could do it better than I could because I hadn’t walked in the shoes of those I worked with.”

“It’s important to be open, accepting, and non-judgmental," says Sophie Lupini about her role at CROYA.

In December, she was hired as the full-time Service and Leadership Youth Worker at CROYA. Those shoes are a better fit for the 2023 Hope College graduate who, among other activities at the Michigan school, served as the director of volunteer services, the student activities social media and marketing director, and led Bible study.

“A lot of students in Lake Forest are super involved and on the college path,” said Lupini, sitting on one of two deep brown couches in her office. “All the things I did at Hope translate into what I do here. I also did a lot as a high schooler, and I can help walk with students through the stressors of school.”

At CROYA, which welcomes seventh graders to high-school seniors into a safe, nonjudgmental environment, Lupini listens to students and gauges their interest of where they’d like to serve. For example, they filled care packages with toys, food and more to help Fill a Heart 4 Kids. For Valentine's Day, they wrote cards for veterans to share the joy and love for the season. At Beacon Place in Waukegan, they are slated to help middle school students with homework.

“With the service projects, I am trying to make them as youth-driven as possible and giving them as many options as possible,” noted Lupini.

Armed with a Master of Social Work from the University of Michigan, Lupini said that CROYA talks about unconditional positive regard for its members, and she pointed out the university taught her that.

“You get to know the person, and then you do the work,” she said. “I like to ask them questions and go from there. Also, it is important to remember that no matter where you are in life, everyone’s going through something.”

CROYA Manager Todd Nahigian has been impressed by the range of Lupini’s contributions in only two months.

“She hit the ground running with some successful service projects and is now gathering new ideas from the youth for meaningful volunteer opportunities,” he noted. “She goes out of her way to make the youth feel comfortable and included.

“Sophie’s background in service and leadership programs is outstanding. Her work experience indicated to us that she is truly dedicated to bettering the lives of youth.”

“I cherish that we are the place youth want to come," Lupini says. At SGA Youth & Family Services in Waukegan, Lupini designed and implemented the Second Chance Program, which was funded by a grant from the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. She managed one federally funded program for youth re-entry and was engaged in workforce development for those returning from detention centers.

Lupini worked daily in North Chicago, Waukegan and Zion, towns lacking the affluence of the North Shore and areas many Lake Forest and Lake Bluff students have never seen despite their proximity.

“I’m excited to create safe connections for our students with those communities,” she said.

One of Lupini’s roles is to provide informal counseling through casual conversations, which often happen during after-school drop-in hours in the kitchen area.

“In the middle school realm, they’re asking questions about relationships,” she said. “It’s important to be open, accepting, and non-judgmental. I want them to feel seen and heard.”

As a relatively new worker, Lupini was excited for her first service project with Fill a Heart 4 Kids on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. She was grateful for the enthusiasm the students showed when more students showed up than could help volunteer.

“We had a room upstairs to ourselves because there were so many of us,” she recalled. “It felt like an activity and not a service project. That’s one of my goals – I want them to have fun, have them hang out with friends. I want these to be fun and meaningful.”

In her spare time, Lupini loves thrifting for home décor, plays cards such as Euchre (“a classic Michigan game”) and hikes. But she is always excited to return to CROYA.

“Everyone wants to be the home where kids come during the weekend. CROYA is that place,” she said. “I cherish that we are the place youth want to come.”