Example Article for Rotary Club
Slice Of Summer Brings Out the Best of Volunteers
Author: Nancy Marks, MT43 News Reporter
Slice of Summer Brings out the Best of Broadwater Volunteers
MT43 News Staff Reporter
Little kids were sliding down the slippery slide bouncy toy like they had never seen one at the 1st annual Slice of Summer Thursday at Heritage Park. Families ate hamburgers and hotdogs, listened to music and generally enjoyed the Montana summer weather.
Volunteer workers are the ones who make the fun event happen. This summer’s volunteers include the chairwoman, Fran Wright, a Rotarian, who agreed to organize the event, now in its 15th summer at the park. She was busy serving up cotton candy during our interview.
Although a new member of Townsend Rotary, a service club, Fran knows the true meaning of volunteering. Since she’s lived in Townsend, she was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. She recently lost her husband 7 months ago to cancer. She has a daughter at home wheelchair-bound. Despite all these burdens, she still has time to volunteer. Why?
Fran has found solace and support in friends she has made since moving to Townsend from Berlin, New Jersey, outside Philadelphia in 2014. Now she feels like she wants to give back to the community. Volunteering gives her a chance to meet new people and to see children and teenagers enjoying themselves on a hot summer afternoon. “Each person who comes has his or her favorite things to do here: enjoy the bouncy toys, dig for quarters in the sand pile or just visit friends with a hamburger in hand,” she said, “ I probably wouldn’t have even come today if I weren’t a volunteer. It gives me a great chance to take advantage of meeting friends and seeing what’s here.”
Bill Desfosses is a first-year Rotarian. He and his wife moved here in 2016 and instantly fell in love with the community. He is amazed at how many programs the community has for kids including Rotary, the churches and the school. Bill explains how he sees volunteering: “To be a good volunteer you have to look in your heart. You gotta want to help others.”
Gary Olsen is the epitome of a Broadwater County volunteer. He was red-faced and hot but still putting out those good Lions Club hamburgers. The Lions’ motto is “we serve.” He explained the Lions work with Rotary to give Townsend families a chance to participate in an event that would not otherwise happen. Gary was born in Townsend but moved to Harrison, Montana when he was a baby where his parents ran a grocery store. He moved back in 1981 and has been serving this community ever since as a 6th grade teacher, guidance counselor and Justice of the Peace. He was a member of the Deep Creek Cemetery board for 43 years. In his spare time, he drives a school bus for Townsend School's out-of-town events. For 50 years he has done that. “I learned about serving the community from my dad, Albert Olsen. It’s all about community,” he ended.
Pat Plantenberg and Mary Mistek stopped for a hamburger break. Pat had just finished replenishing the quarter sandpile. He “salts” the sandpile with quarters so kids can dig to find them.
Pat and Mary are over-the-top volunteers who plant and care for Townsend tree world. They were new to Townsend in 1991, having lived in Bozeman for many years. Their first foray into volunteering began when they helped build the Centennial Garden in front of the Court House. They also worked on the” Welcome to Townsend Rock.” Later, then-Mayor Mary Alice Upton asked him to join the Tree Board, to take Helen Burmaster’s place. Helen had recently passed away. Their involvement with the Tree Board is legendary.
Pat had worked in landscaping in Bozeman since 1983 and had a background in botany. He worked with the Broadwater County Development Corporation (BCDC) beautification committee to drain the area near the railroad tracks in front of the Copy Cup.
His reasons for acting like the energizer bunny are simple: “It feels so good to see the town kept in good shape with trees trimmed and boulevards tidy. It’s so self-gratifying when other people, especially women and their young kids, come up to us to say how nice everything looks.”
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PhotoCredit: Nancy Marks, MT 43 News Photographer
Image 1 Caption: Slice of Summer Chairwoman, Fran Wright serves up cotton candy.
Nancy Marks, MT 43 News Photographer
Image 2 Caption: Fall Fest vintage car show organizer Jerry Rodacker and his lady Shelly Kanwischer enjoying the band music at Slice of Summer. Phatt Lipp of Helena provided music for the afternoon event.
Nancy Marks, MT 43 News Photographer
Image 3 Caption: Teens enjoy cooling off in the water features at Slice of Summer!
Photo Credit: Sarah Tallwhiteman
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