When Amy Wulf was a teenager, she had a bit of an epiphany that would shape her career later in life.
“I wanted to have a Sweet 16 birthday party when I was a teenager,” she said. “My mom said, ‘You want to have a party? You plan it.’ So I planned a joint Sweet 16 party with my best friend whose birthday was three days after mine. I had so much fun planning it all that it made me realize this is what I want to do.”
Wulf moved to the Valparaiso area just over two years ago and is the event coordinator for Opportunity Enterprises, a non-profit organization that strives to help individuals with developmental disabilities reach their fullest potential and live enriching lives. Her role is guiding the fundraising events for the agency, such as Packathon and Summer Celebration.
“It seemed like the ideal job,” she said. “I could help people, and the Valpo community is very robust and family-oriented as well, so it seemed like the golden ticket. I come to work every day knowing that what I do is going to have a positive impact on somebody’s life.”
Prior to working for Opportunity Enterprises, Wulf was a hall director for Purdue University Northwest for two years. She was a resident assistant (RA) at Southern Illinois University Carbondale for three years during her undergraduate hospitality studies. Following this, she attended the University of Kansas to obtain a master’s degree in higher education administration and was an assistant complex director during her time there. Her job was to supervise the RAs and take part in their programming.
Wulf also recently graduated from the Valpo Chamber Leadership Academy, in an effort to further involve herself in the community.
For the near future, Wulf hopes to maximize OE’s fundraising efforts to provide their clients with the most services possible.
“Working in a non-profit industry is so rewarding,” Wulf said. “It may not seem like a big deal to solicit an in-kind donation or negotiate a discount with a vendor but knowing that doing so helps OE save thousands of dollars every year and all of it goes back to our clients; that’s what gets me up every morning.” When Wulf isn’t working, she can be found ice skating every Saturday morning, spending time with her fiancé , Ron, and dog, TankTank, and hanging out with her family at community events.