URBANA — We all make a difference with our various clubs and walk-a-thons and benefit dinners that raise awareness and cash for the dozens of causes that are dear to us. I recently had the opportunity to talk with somebody who has chosen to take her dedication to the next level.

Nicole Galovski with children in a Ugandan village. All photos courtesy Nicole Galovski (click to enlarge)

Galovski volunteers for Come Let's Dance, an organization dedicated to helping and working with the people of Uganda.

Uni's own United for Uganda has raised money for Come Let's Dance.

Her name is Nicole Galovski, and she has positioned herself at the front lines of the relief-based organization Come Let’s Dance, dedicated to helping the people of Uganda.

She is loving every minute of it, and her enthusiasm was infectious as I talked to her during her recent visit to Uni.

Invited by history teacher Bill Sutton to share her insights on the concept of counterculture in America, Galovski was excited to share with me how a kid from Colorado ended up in the oftentimes tumultuous highlands of Uganda.

Galovski’s inherent interests in volunteering and world travel were sparked at an early age. She recalls traveling to Central and South America when she was 9.

During her high school summers, she immersed herself in church-sponsored volunteering trips to Ecuador and Mexico.

While attending community college in 2005, Galovski realized that she wanted to be someplace else. During the fray of Hurricane Katrina’s aftermath, she traveled to Mississippi and became active in a Habitat for Humanity hurricane disaster-relief team.

Contemplating the ravaged shoreline and the massive amounts of work to get the area back on its feet, Galovski decided against returning to school.

As she recalled, "All of me was screaming … I'll help the people that I want to help. This really hit me for the first time.”

With the gelling of this mindset, Galovski began to research the myriad relief organizations for the one that would fit her best.

Akin to searching for the right college, this laborious process was influenced by her inclination toward Africa. She didn't really have any guidelines other than knowing that she wanted to help people.

Come Let's Dance was one of the organizations that caught her eye. Its volunteers focus on living alongside the people they are helping.

The organization's goal is to build lasting relationships, instead of providing quick-fix aid that does little to address long-term problems.

Galovski’s initial assignments with CLD occurred in Uganda during 2007 and 2008. Last month she was making preparations for her third trip.

Come Let's Dance never undertakes unsolicited relief efforts; the organization leaves project initiation up to the Ugandan leaders. Last year, a Ugandan leadership team directed CLD toward hospital, slum, and school-lunch outreach projects. The two groups even collaborated to host a soccer tournament.

Galovski is currently involved in building a self-sustainable farm in Uganda. The goal is for the local citizens to produce enough to feed 100 countrymen and to have enough left over for market trading.

Her favorite part of being on the CLD team are the frequent success stories. One of these is a man named James, who came full circle from being one of the most destitute Ugandans to being a Come Let's Dance facilitator who plays a vital role in improving the lives of fellow Ugandans. This ripple effect is extremely motivating to Galovski.

Her marvelous story is perfect fuel for the pursuits of stateside clubs, such as Uni's chapter of United for Uganda, which has organized lock-ins to support Come Let's Dance. Increasing awareness of world situations and raising money for the people who are physically impacting these situations is what it’s all about.

The next time you're asked to support a group like Come Let's Dance or United for Uganda, remember Nicole Galovski and her passion for real, positive change. As she so clearly put it, "Every day I wake up excited, because I'm doing something that I love."