Erin Evans infuses her passion into all that she does. It shows up in her work as an executive assistant, and especially in all the volunteering she does on the side for the Sea Cadets, the United States (U.S.) Navy’s youth-development program. In both roles, she performs various tasks. When in the office, she’s either bookkeeping or making sure other critical day-by-day procedures move along smoothly. When away, behind the scenes she’s reporting about the fantastic nature of the organization her sons are involved in, capitalizing always on anything she can offer to them, other kids their age, and the dedicated co-volunteers on her team. She does not work alone in building up the nearby kids of the nation for the better; rather, she’s surrounded by multitudes of folks who are just as committed as she to pointing kids in the right directions.
Evans comes from Munster; it’s where she graduated from high school. She then went off to study at the University of Alabama. Now, the link she has to her community through the Sea Cadets is only strengthened by the work she does for their division as one of the leaders of the area’s local unit.
“Personally, I feel much more connected to Northwest Indiana because I am serving. We go out and do community service all the time, working to improve the conditions around us. That means a lot, and when you work for something, it means more to you. Where I am is not just the place I happen to live; it's a place I'm trying to make better. That has been important to me,” she said.
Evans’ involvement isn’t just about serving the community. Instead, her top focus centers itself on developing kids beneficially so they pick up useful life skills for success down the road. Because she and many, many other ardent volunteers help to train the leaders of tomorrow, she, herself, is one through and through. She and those whom she works in collaboration with put tremendous care into ensuring all things required of the job run accordingly. That goes right in line with her desire to remain organized any place she goes.
“I’ve always been drawn to working with kids. I never pursued that as a career; it’s just something that gives me life. I also was just so fortunate to find something I can experience and share with my family. If this meant time taken away from my family, I probably wouldn't be able to do it. It’s something we do together, and so I can put my all into it. I consider myself a really organized person, too, and I think that that adds a lot of value to what I do,” she said.
Connected to something larger than herself, Evans is offered many opportunities to make the most of all the experiences sent her way. By this point she’s been exposed to so many that she’s been able to narrow down her favorites. They’ve taken her far and wide, and, of course, have revealed the splendor of the nation to her.
“One of the cool things Sea Cadets get to do is go to what we call our advanced trainings. They cover a variety of topics. I have been able to accompany my kids and the ones from our unit to some of these sessions. In 2022, I took my son to Naval Submarine Base New London in Groton, Connecticut. It was fascinating. To share that learning with my son was pretty amazing,” she said.
Evans has a close relationship with her parents. All her life, they’ve inspired her to follow all the paths she’s walked. Her family itself is a tight-knit one. Everybody’s eager to see where her adventures take her. As a mother, she’s seen all the ups and downs. She’s braved challenges big and small, and today lives happily beside her husband and children.
Evans and her family love to do watersports as a way of decompressing from any kind of stress. Outdoor recreation is their blast. They enjoy going to the neighboring lakes to waterski, kayak, and fish together. They’re frequent campers as well and like to use camping as a time to recharge their batteries.
For herself, Evans will read, whether it’s fiction or a book on parenting. Sometimes, there will be the occasional binge-watching spell. Getting the chance to turn off her brain really is all she needs to relish fully the delights leisure has in store. When on the lake, she’ll do so by lazily floating around in an inner-tube.
These days, Evans resides in Valparaiso, and she finds beauty in multiple aspects of the city.
“I like the green space around here. We always have loved the parks—that's part of the reason we chose to live here when our kids were little. There's a lot of really good people here. We've met and made friends with many of them. Great people, great spaces. We love watching all the new things that are coming to town,” she said.