Title: Invoicing Specialist
Location: Rich’s World Headquarters, Buffalo, New York
Favorite Rich’s product: White Bread Dough, because when I was a kid, my mother made monkey bread with it on Saturday mornings. So, it’s a very special childhood memory.
Why did you first decide to become a volunteer or otherwise get involved in community service? I have always been the type of individual who pays it forward. Even when I was a temp here at Rich’s, I was doing Meals on Wheels. I believe I am truly blessed. My life events have made me the person I am today and there will always be someone whose existence I feel I can help make better.
What generally has been the nature of your volunteer contributions and commitment to “Bettering Your Community”? Traditionally, I choose volunteer opportunities that touch my heart, and while most of them do that, a few really stand out. I really want to help bring a brightness to someone’s day or life. Meals on Wheels helps me do that for the individuals on our route – they call me by name and when I call them by name, they smile and know that I am there to see them. It makes it all worth it.
Recently, I have become more involved with Niagara Hospice, the place that helped my grandmother and me get through her end-of-life transition. Now, from that cherished experience, I can help other families come out on the other side of a loss better for having been through it. I know it’s a hard experience, but I survived it and I’m better for having had Niagara Hospice on my side.
How has being a Rich’s associate influenced or contributed to the success of your volunteer activities? No matter who, no matter what, no matter where, Rich’s inspires me. It has provided me the outlet to give, the opportunity to better people’s lives, and the promise to treat our community like family.
The company also has instilled in me its mission to “do what’s right, no matter what.” I can say wholeheartedly that the Rich’s family cares about our community, they care about what’s right and they care about me. In addition, one of my favorite authors once said, “Just do right,” so thank you, Maya Angelou, for teaching me to be the best human being I can be.
Dr. Maya Angelou: “Just Do Right”
What advice or message would you share with others to encourage them to get more involved in community service? Be a rainbow in someone else’s cloud. Be a blessing to someone who needs a blessing. Lift up a fellow human being – we should all be lifting each other up. Our pasts are full of events of tearing down and it is never too late to give. Give a hand, give a kind word, even give a tear if someone needs to share their sadness. Just GIVE.
Here at Rich’s, I can point out an opportunity for us as a company to help and the need is recognized and help is given. I have teamed up with some amazing people here. They are now my family and, as a family, we are a pretty strong force. And with the Rich’s family behind us, we accomplish some really extraordinary, mountain-moving things and deliver wonderful gifts to our community. We, as a company, need to be “a rainbow in someone else’s cloud.”
Dr. Maya Angelou: “Be a Rainbow in Someone Else's Cloud”
