Sunday Feb 17th - Volunteering at the Boys and Girls club

One of the coolest days ever…After finishing breakfast with fellow student Natalie Ramsey, I had a couple of hours to kill before all of us will be heading off to our charities. I returned back to the room where I started cranking out a paper for class…and actually finished it! Right before it was time to go down to the lobby to meet everyone.

At 12:30, several of us in the Lobby shoot the breeze, horse around, yada yada, and get organized among the Girls, Inc and Boys and Girls Club. I will be volunteering at the Boys and Girls Club.

The taxi driver, who entertained us with stories about the differences between Nebraska and Iowa drivers, drops us off at the Boys and Girls Club of Omaha. We are the first ones to walk in and we are greeted by an animated Fred Schott, the CEO, and Tom Kunkel, the CPO – Chief Professional Officer. Both are out-of-this-world friendly.

It doesn’t take long and then there are 30+ of us. In a classroom like setting, Fred and his staff give us an orientation to what Boys and Girls club is all about. How amazing was this! His personal story, as well as the stories he told of those served by the club, were amazing and inspiring as well. Even though we knew we would only be there for a few hours, it made you glad to be a part of this small effort that we were partaking in. The club is there to touch the lives of young kids in a safe, positive way. Just knowing that you are helping the people who make that their mission is an awesome feeling. I can see why Buffett encourages people to get actively involved in making a difference through community service.

So, I volunteered to help and worked alongside Kathy, Gretchen, Alison, Jason, Brett, and Rena as we moved boxes, supplies, sporting goods from one supply room to the upstairs. At the end, both supply rooms looked awesome – very neat and organized. It was cool to do something physical – move boxes and lift heavy things. Since starting the MBA program, I haven’t done enough things like that recently. As we wrapped things up, Fred and Tom thanked all of us for coming down and helping out. You could see that they really appreciated what we did…And I really appreciated the opportunity to be there as well.

Like I said earlier, one of the coolest days ever…