by Lauren Hanley
It is four in the morning, the sun will not rise for another few hours, and the gas gage is bellow empty. Despite the dark and gloomy dawn, Skip Aluisy is wide-wake and avidly navigating his way around the town of Pembroke, in order to pick up a group of teenagers and depart for the Pine Street Inn. Skip continues to drive, praying that he will make it to the first open gas station, for nothing, not even an empty gas tank will deviate him from the day's mission.
Swarms of people file into the Pine Street cafeteria, all from different walks of life but universally craving a warm breakfast and safe place to eat. With his hair net on and apron fastened tight, no man is better suited for this job than Skip Aluisy. Greeting each person with his ear to ear smile and benevolent heart, he has made it his duty to feed and enliven the hunger stricken crowd.
As Mohammed Ali once said, “Service to others is the payment you make for your space here on earth.”
As Skip Aluisy says, “Volunteering is the right thing to do.”
As Skip Aluisy says, “Volunteering is the right thing to do.”
Skip is a regular volunteer at Pine Street Inn, visiting several times a month. In addition to his hectic work and family schedule, which includes being the president of an international metal trading company, father to four children, and husband, he is a volunteer coach for both the Pembroke Girls Youth basketball and Ultimate Frisbee teams.
“My dad is very thoughtful. He is a terrific coach and has been doing a great job for three years,” said Jane Edwards, Skip’s daughter and youth basketball player.
Furthermore, he is a very active member of St. Andrew’s Parish of Hanover. He will be attending an upcoming mission trip to Mississippi, where he and other volunteers will be working with Katrina victims to help reconstruct their homes and lives.
Pastor Beth of St. Andrew’s Church, described Skip Aluisy as a “bundle of positive energy. He is a can-do-guy and really wants to see others succeed. Skip is always helping out around the church, never looking for anything in return.”
“I have been volunteering ever since I was a young teenager. Growing up, I was taught to give back to the community. It is very important to start good habits early in life. These are the habits that you want to carry with you as an adult,” said Skip.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor, about 60.8 million people have volunteered through or for an organization at least once between September 2006 and September 2007. This is a 0.5 percent decrease in the volunteer rate and which follows a decline of 2.1 percentage points from the previous year.
Also according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, people at the age 35 to 54 are most likely to volunteer, at 30.3 percent. On the other hand, the volunteer rate for teens showed the largest decline in the year ending in September 2007.
Skip Aluisy is working to reverse this statistic, by successfully establishing a sense of urgency among teens to volunteer. To illustrate, he makes several trips to Pine Street with gathered groups of young adults. Furthermore, he has helped fund and organize mission trips for people to gain global awareness and encounter life altering experiences.
Last summer, by Skip’s efforts a group was organized and funded to volunteer with Katrina victims.
Berkeley Hall, volunteer and sophomore at Pembroke High School, said, “Skip is a generous and noble man. Without him his help, this trip may not have happened.”
“The most gratifying part is planting seeds in others and seeing them grow into compassionate people. To see my children volunteer on their own is especially rewarding. This is what makes me very happy,” said the small town hero, Skip Aluisy.
“My dad is very thoughtful. He is a terrific coach and has been doing a great job for three years,” said Jane Edwards, Skip’s daughter and youth basketball player.
Furthermore, he is a very active member of St. Andrew’s Parish of Hanover. He will be attending an upcoming mission trip to Mississippi, where he and other volunteers will be working with Katrina victims to help reconstruct their homes and lives.
Pastor Beth of St. Andrew’s Church, described Skip Aluisy as a “bundle of positive energy. He is a can-do-guy and really wants to see others succeed. Skip is always helping out around the church, never looking for anything in return.”
“I have been volunteering ever since I was a young teenager. Growing up, I was taught to give back to the community. It is very important to start good habits early in life. These are the habits that you want to carry with you as an adult,” said Skip.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor, about 60.8 million people have volunteered through or for an organization at least once between September 2006 and September 2007. This is a 0.5 percent decrease in the volunteer rate and which follows a decline of 2.1 percentage points from the previous year.
Also according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, people at the age 35 to 54 are most likely to volunteer, at 30.3 percent. On the other hand, the volunteer rate for teens showed the largest decline in the year ending in September 2007.
Skip Aluisy is working to reverse this statistic, by successfully establishing a sense of urgency among teens to volunteer. To illustrate, he makes several trips to Pine Street with gathered groups of young adults. Furthermore, he has helped fund and organize mission trips for people to gain global awareness and encounter life altering experiences.
Last summer, by Skip’s efforts a group was organized and funded to volunteer with Katrina victims.
Berkeley Hall, volunteer and sophomore at Pembroke High School, said, “Skip is a generous and noble man. Without him his help, this trip may not have happened.”
“The most gratifying part is planting seeds in others and seeing them grow into compassionate people. To see my children volunteer on their own is especially rewarding. This is what makes me very happy,” said the small town hero, Skip Aluisy.
1 comment:
Good post. Let's cosider running this in May issue. Get more info about vounteerism in teh US. This isn't all about Skip, it should also be about the social issue of vounteering.
Post a Comment