“Many people who have been very fortunate in life ascribe their success to hard work, doing the right thing, and making good decisions, which all are important but, to me, an awful lot of it is good fortune. And to have the opportunity to help people by sharing my good fortune is an incredible thing,” shared Steve when discussing why he volunteers at Chrysalis and serves on our Board of Directors.
After retiring from a career in financial services, Steve was encouraged by a friend (current Board Chairwoman, Jill Baldauf) to volunteer at Chrysalis. “I became very impressed with the organization’s mission, what they did, and how the place is run,” recalled Steve of his early days at Chrysalis.
Today, Steve works one-on-one with clients on their resumes and helps them prepare for interviews, in addition to serving on the Board of Directors, co-chairing the Development Committee, and sitting on the Finance and Program Committees.
“I think the most important thing that we as volunteers do is instill in clients belief in themselves. I believe that everybody can get a job, they just need to believe in themselves. Sure, they need to do the work, they need to prepare, but it starts out with believing in themselves, and sometimes they just need to have someone else believe in them first.”
In April, Steve was recognized with the 2017 Mark J. Benjamin Community Impact Award by the Human Relations Council of the Santa Monica Bay Area for his commitment to taking actions to make a difference and demonstrating compassion for others.
Steve shared that he “felt grateful that I was able to find an organization that allows me to help,” and we are incredibly grateful that he found us!