Brad Schaefer has been an active Emerging Leaders United (ELU) member since ELU’s inception in 2015, and he serves on the ELU Cabinet. Check out how his involvement with ELU has helped him become more involved in the community.
“Being involved with ELU, and the various United Way Agency Partners, gives you perspectives on challenges that other groups of people are facing that you may not have visibility to or awareness of if you didn’t otherwise participate. So having that broad experience helps to keep an open mind and see things from other viewpoints. In turn, this leads to being better equipped for leadership roles as you are able to relate to and appropriately serve more people. I acknowledge that I am fortunate to be where I am in life. There are others who have experienced misfortune through no fault of their own, and I am in a position to be able to lend a hand to those individuals, so I do. I am where I am in part because of the community I live in, and I want to contribute to that community so that others might also benefit. No one succeeds without the help of those around them. Volunteering is fulfilling knowing that you are giving back for the greater good. Making a difference in the lives of others and seeing that difference firsthand is rewarding. In my experience, the beneficiaries of volunteer work are so appreciative to have help in meeting the goals they have set.”
“My advice to other ELU members who may be interested in interested in expanding their community involvement but don’t know where to start would be to leverage the ELU leadership team (Shirley Chapin and Jean Morrow). They are passionate about the program and love helping to get members plugged into the community where they are needed most. Also, attending ELU events is a great way to network and discover what other members are doing in the community which could inspire you to join them or start your own initiative.”
We thank Brad for the passion he has to be a leader in our community and for his work with ELU!