Giving back key to Edwards nonprofit career

Brooke Edwards has joined the staff of Nutmeg Big Brothers Big Sisters as special events coordinator. Before joining Nutmeg Big Brothers Big Sisters, Edwards was development manager at the American Lung Association in East Hartford. Prior to that, she was special events coordinator at the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation in Manchester, New Hampshire. Edwards is a native of New Hampshire.

Her professional move from New Hampshire to Connecticut was driven by personal reasons. She moved here to be closer to her significant other. The two, who were fixed up by Edwards' former roommate, are in the process of buying a home together.

Edwards, 31, made her recent move to Big Brothers Big Sisters after being laid off at the American Lung Association. "Now I work for another great organization," Edwards said. "I love giving back to the community ... and making lives better for other people." She is currently working on "Night of Discovery," a fundraising event that will be held Dec. 3 at the Connecticut Science Center.

Since college, Edwards has been working on building a career in nonprofits. While at the University of New Hampshire, where she majored in communications and minored in marketing, Edwards devoted all of her internships to nonprofit organizations such as the United Way and a local children's center. She even bowled in local events for Big Brothers Big Sisters as a member of a community service sorority called Alpha Phi Omega.

It's a career path that was inspired by her parents' acts of giving when she was a child. Her memories include her parents' participation in a holiday program run by a local grocery store, where a child's name was selected from a Christmas tree and they provided the child with holiday gifts.

Edwards has a pragmatic goal in her role as special events coordinator. She wants to make sure there are enough means to make sure every child has an adult as a partner. "I want to raise enough funds so no child is on a waiting list and are matched with a mentor so children's lives are changed," she said.

Surprisingly, the one thing Edwards doesn't like about her move to Connecticut is the long ride to the beach. Southern New Englanders may associate the Granite State with the mountains, but Edwards previously lived near its coast. "It's a change for me. I grew up on the water - only about two miles away. Now I have to go an hour-and-a-half," she said.