In 2011 Gary was looking for an opportunity to give back to his community. In his words, “I wanted to contribute my time and efforts to help people in my own back yard.” He found that opportunity when he began serving on the Finance Committee of Interfaith Outreach in 2011. In 2013 he was invited to join the Board. Today Gary is the Board Treasurer, working with the Finance Committee and the finance staff on accounting, reporting, budgeting and planning.
Gary describes his role. “I, along with many other capable people, serve as the financial stewards of the organization. Over the past few years we have enhanced the financial infrastructure, built up the funding reserves, added internal financial controls and improved long range planning. I am proud of the fact that there were no internal control deficiencies discovered in last year’s financial audit. Mary Larson and Dinh Nguyen (Interfaith Outreach staff) were a huge help in achieving the zero deficiency audit.”
What benefits does Gary realize personally from volunteering? “I enjoy knowing that the efforts of my volunteer work are helping advance the mission of Interfaith Outreach in serving my neighbors in the local community. I also enjoyed working with the staff on the Diversity and Inclusion Group (DIG). DIG got me out of my element when I represented the Board and worked directly with the staff on that initiative.”
Gary also volunteers monthly at Sharing and Caring Hands through a group from St. Philip the Deacon Church. In addition to volunteering in his spare time, Gary enjoys exercising and riding his bike on the local bike trails and playing with his 3-year old grandson.