Our Roth Everyday Hero: Ryan Fritzsche
For the past seven years, Ryan Fritzsche has volunteered with Free Arts, a non-profit organization that delivers therapeutic arts programs—at no cost—to children who have lived through abuse, neglect, or homelessness. The majority of the children live in shelters, foster care, or treatment centers and lack the support of long-term role models. In fact, for many of these kids, the adults in their lives have been a source of pain rather than comfort.
Free Arts gives these children creative outlets and caring mentors, helping them cope with trauma and raise their chances for success in life.
Working with Free Arts is more time consuming than volunteering with other non-profits. Mentors have to go through hours of training to learn how to interact and communicate with the kids. Additionally, it requires a minimum commitment of three hours per week. Consistency is key, and it takes a special kind of person to stay dedicated for seven years like Ryan has.
Ryan works tirelessly to help with fundraising efforts, whether that means securing donations or buying art supplies (often with his own money), and he helps get others involved with the cause. When coworkers in the Phoenix branch were looking for a non-profit where they could volunteer, Ryan introduced them to Free Arts.
After our coworkers experienced first-hand the effect that the program has, nominations to make Ryan a Roth Hero came flooding in. Here is what our coworkers had to say:
“The things some of these children have been through are difficult to even comprehend. Ryan is a positive role model who helps these children have an outlet.”
“I don’t know if I would be able to emotionally handle being a mentor, so I’m grateful that people like Ryan exist in this world.”
“During our group activity, we had the opportunity to hear a teenager’s first-hand account of abuse. I realized how important it is for these kids to have people who care about them and Ryan provides this. He talks with such pride about the impact he has had on these kids and how much he has learned by working with them.”
“His passion for the organization has been passed down to us all in our office here in Phoenix.”
Roth Staffing is honored to recognize Ryan as a 2019 Roth Everyday Hero and make a $500 donation to Free Arts. For more information on Free Arts, please visit www.freeartsaz.org
