Importance of Service: Velma Baldelli Loves Helping People

Velma and Husband, Joe

Velma Baldelli loves helping people. It is something she believes to be one of the most fulfilling things in her life, whether that be in law or in her personal life. Ever since she was a kid, she wanted to be a helper. Considering herself a teacher’s pet in school, Velma always asked her teachers if there was something she could do for them. Velma worked for nearly ten years as a paralegal before leaving due to having children. She felt as though it was her calling to focus on raising her three kids. During that time, she volunteered in the Catholic church to help mothers with whatever they needed and offer community to anyone who needed it.  There she facilitated a mother’s support group which the children were also involved and could learn to socialize and engage in creative learning.

Velma was a part of a national program called Moms Offering Moms Support (MOMS). She became vice president of the Mandeville section in Louisiana, ending up becoming the president the following year. As well, she was a preschool teacher, a preschool teacher’s assistant, and spent two years assisting high school students in functional skills classes. She assisted in providing students with individualized life skills training. She was a part of a great team at Bartlett High School where they encouraged productive and independent learning through pre-employment, social functional work and academic activities.

The strive to help others has always been an innate thing for Velma, attributing her faith in God as the force that drives her forward. She feels as though God has been the one pushing her towards helping everyone around her that she can. Her thoughts always echo the questions: “How can I help others? How can I support them?”

When she came back to the legal field after nearly fourteen years, she believed that God sent her back to continue helping others in new ways. She has always been a fan of legal practice, even at a young age. It has even spilled into her interest in murder mystery movies and television shows. She enjoys focusing on the details, the evidence, and wants to solve problems to help others get justice, not just in fiction but in real life. Ask her if helping others is draining and you will be met with a hard “No.” Velma loves what she does and has all the love in her heart to do what she can for anyone in need.