๐ ๐๐จ๐ฅ๐ฎ๐ง๐ญ๐๐๐ซ ๐๐ฉ๐จ๐ญ๐ฅ๐ข๐ ๐ก๐ญ! ๐
As celebrate and recognize National Volunteer Week (as we like to call it, Volunteer Appreciation Week), we are recognizing various volunteers at Big Brothers Big Sisters of Oxford County and shining a spotlight on the work they are doing to make a BIG impact in the lives of young people and our community, as well as highlight what encouraged them to volunteer with BBBSOC!
Allow us to introduce you to Michael Szala, BBBSOC Board Member, costume designer extraordinaire (as you will see at our Big Night Out Halloween Bash), and our Trivia Nite Quiz Master.
We asked Michael if he could answer a few questions for us:
Why did you get involved with Big Brothers Big Sisters as a Board Member?
I got involved with BBBS because I knew it to be a volunteer organization of the highest quality.ย I have worked with children with disabilitiesย That said, it was almost an accident that it happened, as I saw a posting on the Chamber of Commerce newsletter that said BBBS was looking for board members, and that was all the encouraging I needed.ย The process of recruitment, interviewing, onboarding, and training cemented my view of BBBS as a top-quality organization, and working with the incredible board and staff members has been incredibly rewarding.
What have been some of the highlights. memorable moment, or impactful experiences you’ve had in your time with BBBS?
My highlights as a part of BBBS include my role as Quiz Master for the last three years for BBBSโs Trivia Nite, the first of which was our first in-person event after Covid, which was a very special time.ย Helping to organize the Big Night Out Halloween Ball the last two years has been magnificent, again the first one being so rewarding.ย Seeing the response from the community, with over 400 people attending, most of them in costume, was incredibly inspiring.ย We reached a lot of people that night with the message of BBBSโs mission, and the real need we have in Oxford County.ย And oh, yeah, my Oscar the Grouch costume won best costume for the night as well!!
What would you say to others to encourage them to get involved with BBBS, as a Board Member and/or mentor?
The need is real in Oxford County with more and more children in need of a mentor.ย COVID did untold damage to a lot of people, and especially the youth, and the power of mentorship to help them through it all is indescribable.ย The joy the youth get in their time with their mentor, the life-long relationships that come out of them โ you can have that as a part of your life as well.ย If you donโt have quite as much time to give as that, but still want to help out, you can become a volunteer for any of our events, which are great fun, or become a part of our board and add your skills to what we have.ย Whatever time you give affects so many lives, and we have a waiting list for mentors that is too large.ย We need your help, but the greatest part of it is that you get so much out of it as well as a mentor.
Thank you Michael for your dedication and hard work! We are so fortunate to have you on our team!
