Lives in King George, VA
Originally from King George, VA
Works as a teacher and DECA Chapter advisor for King George County Schools (King George County High School)
Dee Strauss doesn’t just teach marketing — she teaches local teens life lessons and the importance of social responsibility through her community organizing and volunteer work in King George, Virginia.
What drew you to this kind of work? What do you enjoy most about your work or volunteer service?
I have a degree in marketing management from Virginia Tech. I did not go to school to be a teacher — I went to school to make money!
[Marketing] was my career in a variety of settings for a long period of time — but at 40 I said, “Well, what’s next?”. I now teach marketing, entrepreneurship, and economics and personal finance classes at King George High School and I’m also the DECA Chapter [an organization preparing emerging leaders and entrepreneurs for careers in marketing, finance, hospitality, and management in high school and colleges around the world] advisor here. I started the chapter here during my second year teaching and we’re celebrating our 25th anniversary this year.
Our DECA Chapter is very engaged in community service — we work with social services here and collect food, gifts, and other things like that for Thanksgiving and Christmas. I guide this to help students embrace social responsibility, and I try to model that for the students with my volunteer work at the fall festival we have here in King George and through my volunteer work at our local thrift shop, The Opp Shop.
Since 2003, I have been on the volunteer committee of the King George Fall Festival — it’s not run by the town or the county, it’s entirely run by a group of volunteers and has a parade, craft fair, vendor fair, free rides and games and a petting zoo. I got thrown into [leading] by one of the matriarchs of King George — she pulled me aside and said, “You’re going to do the BBQ that we always have at the fall festival, and your students are going to help and they’re going to be part of this,” — so we did that for quite a few years. I also solicit and manage for food trucks to come [with the help of] the student body. I’m usually at the festival from 6:15am and I’m the last to leave.
Can you share a moment or experience that made you especially proud?
The Opp Shop is a thrift store run by one of the Episcopal churches — I’m on the board and I work as a cashier every Wednesday. It’s all volunteer-run and the money that’s made goes back into the community — it supports so many people [through both monetary donations and supplies]. If people are burned out of their home, if people are homeless, they can get anything they need, no charge. If there’s an emergency situation — there was a baby born [in the community] prematurely who needed money for medical assistance, and we jumped in and sent money there. One of the other churches in a neighboring county, a very historic church, burned to the ground — we’ve sent them [funds] since the church burned down. Being a part of the ministry is really, really fulfilling — and the [high school] kids know I work there, so they come and shop and I have some kids that volunteer as well.
We all feel good when we do things like that — but I want everybody to feel that good, so I want to share that with the kids.
What and/or who has influenced or inspired the way you serve others?
I think that there have been a lot of moments that have spurred me to this kind of action — when I was in college, I volunteered for Big Brothers Big Sisters of America — that was a really wonderful experience, and I was on their board for several years and worked in fundraising.
I also think we all go through ups and downs in our lives [that inspire us to give back]. My husband and I experienced that after we had our first child — I had quit work and we sold my car, so we were a one-vehicle, one-income family and we were in a tough financial situation — it was really tight. We sold our house and moved back to King George, and fortunately the support from family was very important — and I also look at the community up here in King George as family. When I got my job as a teacher, I went to the Opp Shop to buy my clothes. We got through all of it, but we know there’s so many people around us that go through a tough time, so we want to be able to ease things as well.
What’s one thing you wish more people knew about the work you do or the people you serve?
I would like the public to know how hard working our teenagers are — I think they get some bum raps every once in a while, but I feel that working with teens every day and watching what they can do is amazing. When I see these kids stepping up and taking care of things and putting together events where they’re not getting anything out of it — these teenagers are going to take care of the world. There are some really brilliant young people who have huge hearts.
If you were a piece of furniture, what would you be — and why?
I would be a round chair with a big round ottoman that two to three people can sit on, so that when my grand nieces and nephews come over, I can sit in the chair with them and read a book or talk.
Do you have any “core furniture memories”? (For example, a special chair only your dad sat in, or those famous plastic-covered couches!)
When I was born, my mother and father lived in Fredericksburg and the family they bought the house from left this walnut and cane upholstered living room furniture. When we moved to King George and my dad built the house on the family farm, I remember that that furniture [made the trip]. When my dad passed away, my siblings and I got to pick what they wanted from the house, and I wanted the couch, rocker, and chair. I did get the furniture reupholstered a few years ago — and it’s just something I have a lot of memories from.
In your opinion — what’s the best way to build a furniture fort?
First, you take two high-backed chairs. Then, you’re going to take a good blanket and put it over the backs of the chairs and anchor it down underneath the legs of the chairs. Then, you’re going to take cushions from every single piece of furniture you can find and you’re going to build your wall out — you might need three chairs for a triangle and four for a rectangle. Then you’ve got cushions for walls, and you can take your favorite pillows and put them inside.
And then, you’re going to get some popcorn and water (‘cause you can’t have sugary drinks!) and sit in there and talk and read and laugh.
