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Alan Gray Inc. - Community Spotlight
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| Alan H. Gray |
| Founder & Executive Vice President |
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| Q) How long have you been involved in Big Brothers Big Sisters of Massachusetts Bay? |
| A) Almost 3 years now. I was first matched with my "Little" in May 2007. |
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| Q) Why did you decide to volunteer with this specific organization? |
| A) My kids are grown and I had been looking for a way to give something back for some time. I like working with kids - I am a certified soccer referee working mostly with youth travel teams which I enjoy. When I got something in the mail from BBBSMB it struck me as a natural fit and the rest, as they say, is history. |
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| Q) What are some of the things you’ve learned from this experience and your ‘little brother’? |
| A) My "Little" is a really terrific young man. He is now 12 and in 7th grade. He loves sports - playing and following. Baseball and basketball are his favorites. I have always been around sports as well so again, the match has been a good one. He is also extremely bright - straight A student all the way and can converse well with adults as well as his peers. We have gone to the Aquarium and Museum of Science and I always learn something from him because he is really knowledgeable in many areas - lots of things that even the average adult would not know. We also go to ball games together or just shoot hoops and hang out. I have seen some of the challenges he has had to deal with and continues to deal with and try to provide him with sound ideas on how to manage and handle some of the things life has thrown at him. This has been a very rewarding experience for me and hopefully for him as well. |
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| Q) By volunteering, how do you hope to enrich your ‘little brother’s’ life? |
| A) By sharing new experiences with him, learning more about him and helping him get thru life in general. We have fun together - a lot of good natured ribbing - he can give it as well as take it so it is interesting. I believe that I provide another option for him in terms of adult support, companionship and learning. |
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| Q) Why should other professionals consider volunteering their time? |
| A) The time commitment is not overwhelming - it is what you want it to be. And the rewards far outweigh the commitment - no contest there. It is a simple way to have a positive impact on the life of a young man or woman or child. |
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| James Olivo |
| Director, Strategic Advisory Group |
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| Q) How long have you been involved with Artfully Unforgotten? |
| A) I've been on the Board of Artfully Unforgotten for approximately 1.5 years. |
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| Q) Why did you decide to volunteer with this specific organization? |
| A) To be honest, I was just looking for an opportunity to use my business and finance experience to help out a small organization. I had never heard of Artfully Unforgotten when I started looking for opportunities. I worked with a non-profit support group run by Westchester County, NY (one that places experienced executives with non-profits) to find the right organization that needed the skill sets that I possess. |
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| Q) What are some of the things you’ve learned from this experience with Artfully Unforgotten? |
| A) The two primary things I have learned are a) its extremely difficult to raise money for a small organization, especially one without an endowment to pay its operating expenses; and b) it is a whole different experience being on the board of an organization made up entirely of volunteers. It’s not quite as easy getting things done when people aren't able to work on something full-time. On the other hand, working with people who have a passion for what they are doing is extraordinarily rewarding! |
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| Q) By volunteering and being involved in a worthwhile cause, how do you hope to give back to your community? |
| A) The groups that Artfully Unforgotten supports are ones that society has overlooked, that have pressing needs that are not being met by other, larger organizations. By raising awareness of these groups within my community, I hope to get more people involved and interested in these issues. |
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| Q) Why should other professionals considering volunteering their time? |
| A) Its easy for business professionals to get very absorbed in their own lives and to forget the needs of other, less-advantaged groups. We also have a set of skills that are desperately needed by non-profit groups. By volunteering our time, we bring these skills to bear on problems that significantly affect the lives of people who need our help! |
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Spotlight 2
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