The pattern of volunteering can be traced back through a family from parents to their children. My brother who is retired is a good example. He saw our dad volunteer on a fairly continuous basis even while providing for his wife and five children working full time with the Detroit Edison Company as a lineman and trimming and removing trees for extra money on the side. He led Cub Scout Packs and Boy Scout Troops during and after the involvement of his own three sons. He helped put on the First Friday Fish Fries and the bingo held at St. Catherine's, our local Catholic church where he also volunteered to build a grotto from hand cut field stone that was used to display a marble statue of the Virgin Mary.
I visited my brother recently and asked him if he would be willing to list his volunteer involvements. Below is the list he gave me. His listing of activities does not begin to convey the time and detailed involvement he provides on a voluntary basis.
Current: Chair - St. Clair Co. Metropolitan Planning Commission, Economic Development Strategic Planning (four committees); Board member - Community Action Agency of St. Clair County; Treasurer - St. Christopher Association, Inc.; Member St. Clair County Alternative Energy Committee, Member - RESA Technical and Energy Advisory Committee; Alternate - SEMCOG Executive Committee; Belle River Watershed Committee. Pastoral Facilitator - St. Christopher Catholic Church, Consultant to St. Clair County BOC Chair and Administrator (Pro Bono).
Past: Workforce Development Board - Thumb Area Michigan Works, President of the Board Blue Water Habitat for Humanity; Treasurer Board of Mt. Clemens Community Schools; Chair Membership Development Committee, Engineering Society of Detroit; Board - Human Development Committee, Inc.; Treasure - Society of Consumer Affairs Professionals in Business; Chair - Planning Commission, City of Mt. Clemens, LT./Sec. Mt. Clemens Volunteer Fire Dept.; President Mt. Clemens Good Fellows; (partial List).
Mt. Clemens traffic Safety committee, IEEE Audit Committee, IEEE Membership Development Committee, Engineering Society of Detroit Membership Development Committee Chair, Consumer Affairs Professionals In Business Membership Development Chair and Treasurer, Cub Master Pack 93, Committee Chairman and Merit Badge Counselor, Boy Scouts of America Troop 93, Chair Administration Committee St. Peter Catholic Church, Dad's club Cardinal Mooney High School, Weatherization Advisory Committee State of Michigan,
There is no way Mike could be this involved in volunteering his time and expertise without the active, loving support of his wife, Julie. I came across an article published in the Coshocton Tribune that makes these same points. It describes the volunteer activity of Denny Lowe who also gives credit to his wife and her support for his ability to commit to being such an active volunteer. Here is a link to the article and I copied the text of it below
COSHOCTON -- Denny Lowe can trace his volunteer's heart back to his dad, who taught him from an early age the importance of donating time, skills and money.
"My father was one of those people that sort of led by example," Lowe said. "The three big areas he volunteered in, I ended up in all three areas also, from the Boys Scouts, to Boys Village to the church we belong to."
Lowe grew up in Orville, but he and his wife, Becky, have lived in Coshocton for 42 years. A full-time property specialist for the Ohio Regional Development Corporation, Lowe volunteers his free time to many organizations throughout the county, including the Boy Scouts, the Coshocton County Eagle board of review, the Muskingum Valley Council, the Properties Committee, Habitat for Humanity, the Presbyterian Church in Coshocton, the advisory board of the Coshocton joint vocational school, the Coshocton Board of Zoning Appeals and the Coshocton County Regional Planning Commission.
Most of what he does for each organization involves construction -- repairing old buildings, building new ones or consulting on projects.
"I have really spent my entire adult professional career in the field of construction, construction management and contract administration," he said. "You need to find your niche.
"It was a real natural fit for me being in the construction business my entire life."
Lowe attributes much of his success as a volunteer to his wife.
"For me, I think successful volunteerism is much easier with the support of a spouse," he said. "With volunteerism, you're going to have late dinners, and you're going to have evening meetings where you're not going to be home, and you need to have an understanding spouse that really goes along with it. My wife, Becky, is supportive of whatever I've done, volunteer-wise, over the years."
In their 20s, the Lowes volunteered together with the Coshocton Jaycees.
"We really concentrated on a lot of programs for the kids," Denny Lowe said. "We would have toys for tots at Christmas for the kids, an East egg hunt for the kids and we always had a scholarship program.
"The Jaycees really involved the husband and wife. ... We developed a lot of lifetime friendships."
Like his father passed it on to him, Lowe has passed his habit of volunteering on to his daughter, Jennifer Nelson, who owns a dance studio in town.
During the day, Nelson volunteers at Lincoln Elementary School as a reading assistant and classroom aide.
"She has found her niche in daytime volunteer work," Lowe said. "She has three kids, two of them at that school, so it's a natural fit for her."
Lowe is aware not everyone has the time or ability to volunteer like he does, but those people can get involved in other ways, he said.
"Some people can't go out there and swing a hammer but they can send in a check once a year -- and that's a real important part to a lot of the organizations I am with," he said. "Whether it's Boy Scouts, or Big Brothers, or whatever ... you need financial support.
"The opportunities are out there for volunteers and for anyone who wants to get involved. You've got a find a spot that's going to fit you and your abilities and interests."
