For years, our Kid of the Month feature has highlighted some of the amazing kids and teens who pitch in at Big Sunday’s many programs and events.  But, you may be wondering, what about all the other important players involved in Big Sunday?  We’re lucky to have a huge network of volunteers, corporate sponsors, non-profit partners, and other participants who help us out in all kinds of ways!

That’s why we’re so excited to introduce our brand new feature:

Big Sunday’s Non-Kid of the Month!

From now on, we’ll be honoring someone (or something!) special in the Big Sunday community every month!  These “non-kid” participants have gone above and beyond in some way, and we can’t wait to share their stories with you.

Steve Oh came to us as part of the group Partners for Potential. PfP work with people with challenges. Each week they would send a group of their clients to our TM@10 (Thursday morning at 10) volunteer program. At this event, volunteers of all ages, most of them healthy and without these kinds of challenges would come and volunteer for local nonprofits. PfP brought their crowd so folks could give back and also socialize with mainstream people, too.

Steve quickly impressed everyone with his hard work and great desire to help. More than that, he won everyone over with his enormous smile, great good humor, and delightful personality. When the Partners for Potential crowd arrived at our events, Steve tended to bring up the rear. We’re not sure if he was running late or making an entrance, but it was and is always great to see him. As time went on and he became more familiar at Big Sunday, his late entrances were often accompanied by many high-5’s and many hugs. We have been frequently told how much Steve loves coming to Big Sunday, and how he talks excitedly about it for days beforehand, looking forward to his next visit here.

A few months ago, Steve’s aide, Latrece, mentioned that everyone was hoping that Steve might find some paid employment. He frequently donates his time but, at 42, Steve wanted to make a little money. Latrece was a little surprised when it was suggested that Steve could work part-time at Big Sunday. The best place to start would be at TM@10, helping as an aide to Alan, our Program Coordinator who runs the event. Steve will come at 9 to help prepare for the event, and stay until 1 to help clean up after the event. And, if there are other things to do around the office, still will help there, too.

This started as an experiment; everyone was hopeful it would work well. On Steve’s first day he arrived excited but nervous, and worked hard throughout. We announced to our TM@10 regulars that Steve was now on staff on Thursday mornings, and should they need anything that they should feel free to ask him. This announcement was met with great enthusiasm and a hearty round of applause. Not surprisingly, Steve’s irst day went very well.

That was months ago, and Steve quickly has become an important part of the Big Sunday team. He works hard, has his hands in many pots, and is always in a good mood. Steve is so ambitious that he remains determined to clean out our Executive Director, David Levinson’s office. Anyone who has been in there know that this is a monumental task, but if anyone can do it, Steve can.

We are thrilled that is a part of things at Big Sunday and look forward to being back in the office so we can see him again!

Introducing our new Non-Kid of the Month: Jo Ann Consolo. Jo Ann has been a familiar face at many of our Big Sunday events, for many years now. Of course, she is one of our wonderful TM@10 regulars (she may even been our first TM@10 regular!). Happily, she often helps out at MA@2, too. We have often counted on Jo Ann to help us at loads of our big monthly events, too, like Valentine’s Day, Back to School Night, or Thanksgiving to name just a few. Her natural dependability and helpful demeanor always makes her great company at Big Sunday; she’s always looking to help others.

Jo Ann not only helps with many of our regular events, but she’s always game to help us out when we try something new: our various Music Nights, our 1^st Annual Bowling Party, pitching in at a Big Sunday barbecue at My Friend’s Place or a special Big Sunday event with the Dodgers (to name just a few). She always supports us generously at our gala, too.

Not only is Jo Ann a great friend to Big Sunday, but she often brings friends and family to join us, too. Over the years, Jo Ann has brought Jay (her husband), Aviva (her daughter), David (Aviva’s boyfriend), June, Kelly, Anne, and many more. In fact, many of Jo Ann’s great friends and family have become wonderful Big Sunday regulars, too!

We’ve thought about what makes Jo Ann such a great asset to Big Sunday. Of course, we always appreciate it that she frequently says, “How can I help?” Plus, whenever she helps on a project, she works and does an incredible job. But even better, she’s always friendly and welcoming to any other volunteer (old or new), not to mention all of us on the Big Sunday staff. Clearly, she just “gets” that we are all in it together. Needless to say, she has definitely found herself a place within our community – and we are lucky to have her!