June Volunteer of the Month - Tom Patrick

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I'm very, very proud to announce the New Beginnings June 2010 Volunteer of the Month - Tom Patrick!

Tom was nominated by New Beginnings staff at the Emergency Shelter and here are some things they had to say:

"Tom has been volunteering regularly for 13 years at the shelter. He comes almost every Tuesday evening to do maintenance projects around the house. He troubleshoots with the household coordinator on jobs that need doing. He is a whiz at everything in the maintenance realm...He is easygoing, quiet and mixes unobtrusively with the program participants. Tom has saved the agency thousands and thousands of dollars as he is able to do many of the repair jobs we would otherwise need to hire a contractor for. Tom is absolutely delightful to work with and his dedication to the shelter and the women and kids we serve is unsurpassed!", "I nominate him for volunteer of the new century."

We had a Q&A with Tom after presenting him with the award:

Q: Who are you and what do you do?
A: Tom Patrick, I do mostly volunteer maintenance related things at the shelter. Since I have been doing this starting in 1997, I come on an “as needed” basis, usually on Tuesday evenings.

Q: Why do you volunteer for New Beginnings?
A: I would just like to contribute in some way that is conducive to my talents. I learned about New Beginnings while working on the Seattle Crisis Line in the late 80’s.

Q: What's your favorite hobby/sport/free time thing to do when you're not volunteering?
A: I love to walk, hike and spend time outdoors. I also own a 21’ sailboat that I moor and sail in Lake Washington during the summer. I am an active recreational pilot, flying with a group of other pilots who own four aircraft based at Auburn airport.

Q: Now that you've won, what are you going to do now?
A: I plan to toast New Beginnings over a glass of wine with my wife.

Q: Anything you'd like to say to the millions watching at home?
A: Bloom where you are planted!
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A big thank you to Tom!