Throughout 2014, the Office of College Advancement has seen our work supported by our very own volunteer, Bob Day.  Every Friday, Bob is in our office helping out with everything from researching local businesses, assisting with grants, updating our database records, and even pitching in to help with mailings and events. In addition to this, Bob also works with our Financial Aid Office assisting students with the FAFSA process for federal student aid and will soon serve as a mentor to an A-B Tech student. In recognition of his superb work, Bob was recently named A-B Tech's Volunteer of the Month for August (which you can read more about here).   

We recently had the opportunity to sit down with Bob for a brief conversation about his background, his work with A-B Tech and our students, and his support of our scholarship programs. 

Hi Bob, thanks for taking the time to talk to us!  I wanted to start the interview by having you speak a little to your background in Asheville.

I've lived within an hour of Asheville for about twenty years.  In the late nineties, when I was living in Spartanburg and working there, I decided I was going to retire permanently and bought a second home here in Asheville and began to enjoy the amenities of Asheville on weekends. I permanently retired in 2010 and moved here shortly thereafter.

How did you get connected with A-B Tech?

I contacted Jeralie Andrews in the volunteer office. Having spent a career of over twenty-five years in community colleges in other states, I thought there might be some opportunities for me here.

What volunteer roles have you had the opportunity to fill at the College so far?

When we initially interviewed last December, I expressed to Jeralie my interest in spending some time working with students or potential students directly and some time working with administration and staff - splitting my time so that I could get different perspectives.  So my experience since January has been working four hours a week as a FAFSA by appointment assistant in Financial Aid, helping students to complete their FAFSA online. I had done a little of that in a previous life helping students at the South Carolina School for the Deaf and the Blind.  I thought that might be a good opportunity to help students.  And then secondly working with the Foundation and the Advancement Office with donor files and special projects like mailers, helping with special events or as needed in other areas building on my past experience.

Is there a specific project or task that has been particularly memorable or important for you here?

I've enjoyed everything, and I particularly enjoy the people that I work with honestly.  I very much do.  On Thursday afternoons I enjoy working with some of the work study students who help out in the lab, and getting to know them.  And as a matter of fact, I should add that I've just this week been assigned a mentee.  So I'll be working as a mentor, one of the twelve or so mentors here for students.  It happens to be one of the College Work Study students who I've been working with all along!  Jeralie made the match for us.  So I'll be looking forward to working with her.

But everything has been memorable here.  I look forward to Thursdays and Fridays because they're my two volunteer half days.

In addition to giving your time as a volunteer and as a mentor here, you also give to our students as a donor to the scholarship programs of the A-B Tech Foundation.  What sort of impact do you hope to have through your contributions to these scholarships?

I hope they make a difference in the lives of some of our students in the future.  I had a hard time determining how I wanted to divide my contributions, so I split it between three funds.  Women have always had an importance in my life, so I'm looking at the Lavender Fund.  I worked in the area of business and I'm a foodie who appreciates the good culinary scene here in Asheville, so the Laurey Masterton Don't Postpone Joy Memorial Scholarship was certainly worth investing in.  And I initially got involved actually with A-B Tech last October when I made a contribution to the 100 Men and Women Scholarship, and I'm continuing to give to that as well.  I've worked in minority institutions before in the South so that too is important to me.

But I hope to make a difference in the lives of students who receive these scholarships.

Could you speak a little to the importance of volunteering and giving for you personally?