Columbia News

In May, we are shining our Volunteer Spotlight on Christian Sasse, a GIS analyst who has been a volunteer with the City of Columbia since 2021. Christian Sasse, in an interview, expressed his dedication to uniting his volunteering efforts with his leisure activities to benefit the community. He said, “I’ve been attempting to bring together the places I volunteer with and where I visit for leisure by planning collaborations in hopes of reaching more members of the community and getting a wider demographic of people involved to try and better where we live.”

Christian Sasse, who is actively involved in litter pickup, Adopt-a-Trail invasive species removal, and serves on the executive committee for the Missouri chapter of the Sierra Club, shared his perspective on the value of volunteering. He mentioned, “I think the biggest thing I’ve gained from volunteering is a better connection with the community and understanding of how many people are trying to help through their own specializations.”

One of Christian's primary focuses is on invasive species removal on the trail section he has adopted with the Sierra Club. He highlighted the importance of this work in preserving the environment and allowing native species to thrive. Christian stated, “It seems through talking with so many of the people using the trail while we’re doing work that they love what we’re doing and they get the enjoyment of seeing native species popping up in areas where we’ve already cleared.”

Christian Sasse's commitment to community improvement and environmental conservation is evident in his volunteer work and collaborations. For more information on volunteering opportunities, interested individuals can contact Volunteer Programs at 573.874.7499 or [email protected].