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'OnBoard' connects volunteers with organizations |
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Trevis Wray, program officer and community leadership coordinator with the Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts, will be among the individuals representing local organizations at a unique event titled "Get On Board" on Oct. 28.Reminder Publications photo by Lori Szepelak
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Oct. 25, 2010
By Lori Szepelak
Correspondent
SPRINGFIELD -- Trevis Wray is a community minded business professional who believes in giving back to the community through volunteering opportunities.
A unique, city-based organization, OnBoard, has linked individuals including Wray with opportunities to increase their involvement in the Greater Springfield area. The next gathering, titled "Get On Board," is planned Oct. 28 from 5 to 8 p.m. at the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
OnBoard was founded in the mid 1990s by attorney Ellen W. Freyman of Shatz, Schwartz & Fentin, P.C. Freyman notes the group's mission is to help organizations expand their governance diversity by enlisting women, people of color and other under-represented populations to their boards of directors/trustees, committees and advisory groups.
"Get On Board provides a vehicle for the introduction of new talent to organizations around the Pioneer Valley," added Freyman. "There may be no other opportunity for such a connection to take place, as boards tend to recruit from within the circle of people they know. It is our goal to create new relationships and for both the individuals and the organizations to benefit from each other's experience and resources."
Wray encourages area residents interested in getting involved in their community to stop in on Oct. 28 to see if their expertise could be utilized by a worthwhile local organization. The initial OnBoard event he attended was in 2007 and he has been active in volunteering ever since.
"I was looking for ways to broaden my connections with the community and build relationships," said Wray during an interview with Reminder Publications. "I believe an ideal way to accomplish that, in an unselfish manner, is through volunteerism."
Wray will be among those representing the Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts during the Get On Board event, explaining what volunteer roles are available to help others. Wray is employed on a part-time, interim basis as program officer and community leadership coordinator.
The event will take place in Center Court, where attendees will have the chance to meet with as many as eight or more organizations. The meetings will be orchestrated using the "speed dating" format, with individuals spending about 10 minutes with an organization of their choice, and on the sound of the basketball buzzer, moving on to the next. Representatives from each organization will have a chance to speak to attendees about their history, mission and goals, and what it is they are looking for in board members. Interested parties will have the chance to explain what skills and interests they have to make a potential match.
The event is free and open to the public.
"I would encourage others to attend such an event to better profile organizations that one may be aware of, and to discover organizations that perhaps one never knew existed," added Wray.
Sponsors of Get On Board include Baystate Health, MassMutual, United Bank and the United Way. Community supporters include American International College and the Mason-Wright Foundation.
For more information about the event, contact Elizabeth Taras at 687-3144 or Brittany Castonguay at 737-1131 or visit www.diversityonboard.org.
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