In Celebration of International Volunteer Day

One of the best aspects of working at Leadercast is meeting the incredible men and women who volunteer at our events. Our volunteers, who come from a variety of backgrounds and professions, humbly choose to share their time and skills to help make our events unforgettable experiences for our attendees. CEOs who have attended past events serve because they want to “give back” and they end up rubbing shoulders with passionate students who are hungry to learn and grow. 

Volunteer check-in is my favorite time of event day. I love to watch the volunteer team arrive, brimming with enthusiasm even at their crazy call time of 6 a.m. So many people who serve at Leadercast events are repeat volunteers, so our check-in resembles an extended family’s happy reunion!

International Volunteer Day is the perfect opportunity for us to express our gratitude to everyone who has served at a Leadercast event in the past decade. Thank you for the time contributed, the many miles traveled, the warm smiles shared and the warm hospitality you’ve shown to attendees. We deeply appreciate the commitment and heart you have for elevating leaders.

Join us as we celebrate volunteer teams who serve at Leadercast events around the world!

Florida
Host Site Leader Jill Nash shared stories about two of her rockstar volunteers in Gainesville, Florida. Jill said that Rose LeBlanc, a single mom of two, is one of the hardest working people she’s ever met. She and Rose connected when she hired Rose to clean her house, and they became even better friends after Rose volunteered to serve at a Leadercast Gainesville event. Rose has told Jill that the presentations she’s heard while serving at Leadercast have stayed with her, and she’s been able to apply them at home and at work. Jill says go-getter Rose offers great ideas for marketing and promotion, plus engages her son to serve with her. She’s become quite the Leadercast ambassador, inviting her cleaning business clients to attend. Rose is a true servant leader—a leader who says people should volunteer because they believe in the vision and want to serve.

Kim Straile is also a single mom in Florida who’s not afraid of hard work. Jill said Kim helped with whatever was needed on event day, but what amazed her was Kim’s willingness to stay and clean up afterward. She emptied trash, moved furniture and helped load extra supplies in staff members’ cars. She stayed until they were completely finished and smiled the entire time, Jill said.

Georgia
The year 2019 will mark the 10^th consecutive year for mother-daughter volunteer duo Nona and Kelly Rector to serve at a Leadercast gathering! These women drive more than seven hours from Virginia to serve in Atlanta, even though Nona has a mobility impairment.

“I’ve loved the opportunity to work with TOMS shoes, greet thousands of guests, hand out everything from doughnuts to popsicles, and help organize other volunteers,” Nona said. “I especially love the pre-event assembly line process of filling client swag bags, because that’s where everyone first pitches in gets to know each other. I’ve met some of the nicest, most helpful and caring coordinators and project managers, who all make it well worth the effort of serving, and many of us keep in touch between events.”

Nona’s favorite Leadercast memory involves speaker and former Texas Longhorns football coach Mack Brown. Nona saw him walking toward the exit with a Longhorns football helmet under his arm after he spoke. She complimented his good taste in helmets and thanked him for the message he had shared. She recalled that Mack graciously stopped to chat and learned that she was a Longhorn fan. Immediately, he signed the helmet and handed it to her. The helmet is now a fixture on her desk.

In Closing
The support of volunteers is critical for making each event successful. In addition to their important hosting responsibilities, the presence of volunteers serves as an authentic example of Leadercast’s core value, servant leadership. Volunteers who are clearly aligned to our ethos make awesome brand ambassadors, but their passion for Leadercast’s mission is so much more than an organizational asset. These all-stars are true friends who we feel honored to serve alongside and thrilled to welcome back each year!