Good to Know: Meet a Do-Gooder!

Welcome to the first Do-Gooder Spotlight post!  I’m sure that you have met many people through the years that have made doing good and volunteering an intrinsic part of their lives for altruistic reasons.  Well, I think they deserve all the praise and recognition we can give them.

As a society, we sure do seem to write about celebrities and sports figures as if they are contributing something valuable to the greater good or social change; this is just wrong. We are celebrating celebrity over substance and work that is really going to make a difference in the lives of others. Let’s talk about real people with often limited resources, jobs, families, or other commitments that are really trying to make the world a better place; like Roberta!

Meet Roberta Romero

One of the great things about working for social change is that I get to meet a lot of other like-minded individuals and am often inspired by them.  I met Roberta and within a few minutes of finding out how she spends her time was blown away by her connection to volunteering and working with nonprofits. I have since turned to her a few times for information and resources and she has provided me with great advice.  Giving back seems to be in her soul and in her genes.  She is a great example of how parents can influence their children with their own social contributions.   Based on a few questions from me, she shares her giving back philosophy and experience:

“Service to the community has always been part of my life.  Over the years I have had the chance to volunteer at food pantries, council member’s local field office, and mentor high school students.

One of the main reasons I do volunteer is my parents I cannot recall the 1^st time I volunteered and imagine it was with my parents they are the original do-gooders in my family.  My parents did remind me that I was asked to be a hall/play monitor in elementary school.  Which essentially involved making sure the younger kids stayed in line and played well together and a bit of a mentor.  In addition, I was part of the DARE Program visiting other elementary schools as a sort of ambassador.  During high school I was involved with the Key Club and was the Key Club President my senior year.

Volunteering with Heal the Bay 1991

I’ve never really thought about what I get out of it, only that there is a need and my skill set match up then it makes sense for me to volunteer.  I would say I do get personal satisfaction from giving back to the community.  During college I was part of the Child Abuse Prevention Program (CAPP) in Santa Cruz, as part of the program one role-plays several scenarios.  If even one child found help through that program that is a huge accomplishment.

Some of the organizations I have recently been actively involved with are Riordan Programs (Riordan Scholars ‘92),   WeChangeLA, Dress For Success Worldwide – West, and LA Food Bank.  Each organization is unique but they all embody a passion to service whether it is by providing food, interview skills, positive change in the community or mentorship.

I could not imagine my life without being of service to the community.  It is intrinsically within my DNA blueprint to share what I can with the time given to me.”

Thank you for all you do Roberta!  Her story now begs the question: What influences you in your good works?  Were you just born that way, did your parents influence you, or was there some event or experience that impacted what you do?

If you know of someone that deserves to be featured please email: lmenck@animalcareforartists.org with their story.