What is the most rewarding aspect of volunteering?
I think that’s just it… volunteering is rewarding. Growing up I saw my parents active in various organizations throughout our community, so they led by example. Now, my wife and I have a 6-year-old daughter, and I want to teach her right from wrong. I want her to understand how truly blessed we are to have our health, have each other, have a roof over our heads… not everyone can say that. So, it’s both important and rewarding to get involved with volunteer work.

Why should DI employees join the DI Foundation?
Did I mention it’s important and rewarding? But honestly, there are two great reasons to get involved with the DI Foundation: 1) your voice matters. If there is a particular philanthropy that means something to you or your family, there’s a really good chance the DI Foundation will get behind that philanthropy. 2) it’s a great chance to interact with colleagues who you don’t get to interact with all of the time. DI is growing, there are two locations, there are plenty of us who never cross paths (and when some of us do, we’re talking about whatever project is hot at that time). But volunteering with colleagues adds another valuable layer of teamwork and a fun workplace.

What has been your most memorable moment volunteering thus far?
There are plenty of great moments. . .but I’ll highlight how one single event can mushroom through the amazing folks around here. Big Marv somehow convinced our Royals friends to let 3 of us (who work on their account) run the Hot Dog Derby. But the DIF took that and galloped, turning it into a company event and fundraiser. . .because that’s what we do. So in the end we all had a lot of fun, but also raised a couple thousand bucks for the YMCA Adaptive Challenger Program – so we helped the effort/funding to keep special needs kids playing sports and having fun.

The dedication and leadership shown by Brent is inspiring to our Foundation and the community around us. We are happy to recognize Brent as our volunteer spotlight this quarter and thank him for all that he does to make everyone’s day a little brighter. Don’t forget – everyone has something special to offer…including you.