Originally from White Plains, New York, Tom Dougherty moved to Stamford, CT in 2016 and as soon as he was settled, he went back to participating in something he had been doing since he was in the Boy Scouts, giving back to his community by volunteering.
Throughout his years living in New York, he became a major part of the volunteer program at New York Cares. From 2005 to 2016 he worked on over 650 projects, in various fundraisers but mostly working in soup kitchens which he worked in every Monday for over 8 years. Tom has worked with Habitat for Humanity in the past in Long Island New York, New Jersey, and with St. Tammany Parish in Louisiana after Hurricane Katrina. He had worked with Habitat CFC back in 2018 but then took some time off to pursue other volunteer opportunities.
When things began to slowly open up in Connecticut last year Tom decided to get involved again. His love of building and repairing things, checking out new items, and being able to help people drew him to volunteer at the Habitat CFC ReStore in Stratford.
Tom told a story of a volunteer coordinator he heard speak in New York once say, “We hope you enjoy volunteering at this organization and if you do you are welcome to come back, but if not try a different project. Different people do different projects. You need to find what fits you and do what you love doing.”
Since the first day at the ReStore, Tom has been a great member of the team. His years of experience working in groups and working with new people made his transition to the ReStore a smooth one. Tom has been an asset to us every weekend and it is always nice to see the enthusiasm that Tom brings to the work. It is often difficult for volunteers to translate their skills to work in non-profits, but Tom has most definitely figured out the best way to match his skills with the work he finds.
“A lot of people think they have to do the worst job that no one wants to do. That’s not the case. If you’re an artist, talk to people and find out how your skills can be used. Find something that you think you will enjoy. “
From all of us at Habitat CFC, thank you Tom for all that you do.
