Volunteering

The team of people at Thrive is part of what makes the organization special.  Our team enjoys being together and reaching out to benefit others.  Because of our interactions & experiences, we know how critical it can be to communicate in multiple languages and be able to welcome others.  Many of our staff members fill dual roles at Thrive like being a student in one class and contributing as a teacher or volunteer in a different language class or program.

If you are interested in volunteering, please contact us at 484-202-0533 or lindsey@thriveip.org and complete a volunteer application.

Ongoing volunteers and those who may have contact with youth are required to have or obtain the following per PA state law:

• PA State Police Background Check–Can be done online; free for volunteers.
• Child Abuse Clearances–Can be done by paper form or online.  If you use the online option, start with “Create Individual Account.” Free for volunteers.
• Mandatory Reporter Training–The link is for one free training option; other recognized programs are also acceptable.)
• FBI background checks–Be sure to use code 1KG6ZJ for volunteers and code 1KG756 for employees.  Enter your location.  Select “Schedule Appointment”, and then select “Digital Fingerprinting.
• National Sex Offender Registry Verification–Can be done via email; Free.

Staff and Weekly Volunteers

Jody Lantz (Jody@thriveip.org)—Executive Director/DOJ Fully Accredited Representative

Jody has been with Thrive and its predecessor since February 2011.  She has taught ESL since 1994 in different contexts including in community and college programs in the U.S. and Thailand.  She earned her B.S.W. from Eastern University and her M.A. TESOL from Biola University.  After witnessing first hand the struggles of students to access affordable immigration legal services, she entered the immigration legal services field in 2017.  Her professional passions are empowering those from other countries who are living in the U.S. to integrate with and positively impact their communities and helping new professionals develop skills to serve in the immigration legal and teaching fields.  Her favorite hobbies are biking, kayaking, and reading.

Sufia Salmi (Sufia@thriveip.org)—DOJ Accredited Representative/Immigration Advocate

Sufia joined Thrive in 2022 as an interpreter and has moved into her current role as a DOJ Accredited Representative.  She loves helping others from different backgrounds.  Her past work and college education focused on caring for youth and families.  She is fluent in English, Dari, Pashto, and Urdu.  Having moved from Afghanistan to the United States many years ago, she understands what it can be like to be on both sides of the transition to a new country and culture.  In her free time, she enjoys watching funny shows and has increased her language skills that way.

Stephanie Steinbacher (Stephanie@thriveip.org)– DOJ Accredited Representative/Immigration Advocate

Stephanie joined Thrive in the fall of 2023 as a Immigration Legal Assistant and TESOL
Instructor. She is a recent graduate from American University with a Bachelors in Legal Studies. She also has completed two undergraduate certificate programs including: Community-Based Research and Advanced Leadership. She is excited to learn more about immigration including the legal processes as well as learn more about the international community through her work as a TESOL Instructor. In her spare time she enjoys quilting, reading, and spending time with family and friends.

Lindsey Sunderland (Lindsey@thriveip.org)—Office Manager

Lindsey joined Thrive in November 2023. Lindsey’s first career was as a Registered Dental Hygienist for 18 years. Building on her skills of providing care, education and support to others, Thrive gives her the opportunity to continue to be a supportive team member. Lindsey enjoys reading, traveling and spending time with her family.

Andrew Stafford—TESOL Instructor

Andrew is a current Assistant Professor of French and Francophone Studies at Lycoming College with over a decade of language teaching experience. He also teaches Second Language Acquisition and Pedagogy for future language teachers. Languages have always been a passion of his, and he enjoys traveling and learning more about languages and cultures across the world. An avid TV watcher, Andrew enjoys catching up on his favorite series when he gets the chance.

Kaitlynn Mangrum—Community Work Study Tutor/Interpreter

Kaitlynn started in fall of 2023 and is currently a senior at Lycoming College. She is double majoring in Political Science and Spanish and minoring in Social and Economic Justice. She hopes to learn more about the immigration process as she has a strong desire to see immigration become accessible for people of every background. In her free time, she enjoys reading, knitting, and Star Wars.

Keelee Humphrey—Graphic Design Volunteer & Juan Martinez–Heritage Speakers Teaching Assistant

Keelee started volunteering with Thrive in December 2023 by helping to prepare a monthly comfort food meal, then continued volunteering by working on updating Thrive’s graphics and creating social media posts during the Spring ’24 semester. She served as a WISE intern through Lycoming College during summer 2024 and stayed on to continue volunteering to work with Thrive’s social media and graphic design.

Juan started supervising other students from Lycoming College’s Heritage Speakers class in 2022 and is on his 3rd semester in this role.  He assists other students to become proficient at interpreting and translating and steps in to help himself when needed to make Thrive’s services accessible to Spanish-speakers.

Yaritza Roman– Lycoming College Intern

Yaritza joined Thrive as an intern in fall 2024. She is currently a senior at Lycoming College with a double major in Spanish and Corporate Communication. She is hoping to learn more about the process of immigration and help anyone who needs it! During her free time, she likes to cook, embroider, and take naps.