Leaving a Legacy

Kim Sanecki

Two of our founding NAVPLG members will be retiring this summer, which not only leaves a hole in our organization but an even bigger hole in our hearts. Joan Brown and Glenis Chapin have been tireless advocates for elevating the volunteer management profession through NAVPLG and on the local level in their communities. Their journey in volunteer management started long before NAVPLG, so they came to the table with experience and enthusiasm when we all gathered in a small conference room at the International Conference on Volunteer Administration (ICVA) in Norfolk, Virginia, in 1997 to gather ideas about starting a national organization to support managers of volunteers in local government.

From that day in Norfolk, I knew there were people across the country I could call for advice, support and knowledge. After all, most of us at that time were ‘lone rangers’ in our organizations and more often than not the only person in the community who was mobilizing volunteers to help government. We’ve come along way, baby!

I could go on and on about the contributions and impact that these women have made but instead I want to share a couple of stories how these women impacted my life.

It was October 2001, right after the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and some of us braved up and headed to Toronto, Canada, to attend the ICVA conference. As the incoming president of NAVPLG, I was to meet with a man attending the conference who was organizing the first Asia/Pacific Conference of Volunteer Administration in partnership with ICVA to be held the following year in South Korea. He invited me to be a presenter at that conference. With young children at home I was reluctant to go across the globe for a one-day training session. I promised him I would find a NAVPLG member who would be a suitable replacement with plenty of experience who was up to the challenge. I immediately thought of Joan Brown. Joan was the perfect choice and had way more experience than I had and her public speaking and training skills in our field to this day are unmatched. Joan stepped up to the plate and represented NAVPLG with skill and grace. I will always be grateful to Joan for traveling across the world and “taking one for the team.”

Disasters seem to bring out the best, especially in the volunteer world. We have heard volunteers referred to as the “silver lining of a disaster” and Glenis Chapin was my silver lining in 2005 after hurricane Wilma hit south Florida. Glenis planned to visit me for a few days before attending ICVA in Jacksonville, Florida. We thought we would have some sun and fun before heading north to the conference, only to be tricked by a strong hurricane named Wilma. Power out, no drinking water available, curfews, and limited street access around the area led me to call Glenis to discourage her from coming to south Florida. Instead, I told her to skip my area and go directly to Jacksonville a few days later. I told her I was working crazy hours from sun up to sundown, and we wouldn’t be having much fun. She wouldn’t hear it. She said in true volunteer manager style, “WOW, this sounds like a great training opportunity, and I want to come and help you!” I repeated the mantra…to no avail. Two days later I picked up Glenis at the airport and our crazy week began. We were assigned to the Point of Distribution (POD) in a local park in Coral Springs passing out water, ice, Meal Ready to Eat (MRE) boxes and tarps to hundreds of people who needed assistance. Glenis was part of our recovery team and truthfully, I don’t know how I would have done it without her. She was not only an efficient and calm resource at the POD, she calmed me down when I was “one tarp away from a total meltdown.” She stayed positive and upbeat when the situation was tiring, hot and stressful. I would guess that Glenis put in a full week’s worth of work in just a few days, but our nights were full of wine, laughs, and reading by flashlight. And if that wasn’t enough, Glenis created a power point presentation about our recovery efforts to show at the conference from all the pictures that she took.

I am not only blessed to have these women as my colleagues, but also as my friends. Thank you Glenis and Joan for the legacy you leave. We applaud your service and simply say…WELL DONE!

I posed a few questions to Joan and Glenis as they leave their careers. I hope you will feel as inspired as I was when I read them.


Leaving a Legacy Kim Sanecki Two of our founding NAVPLG members will be retiring this summer, which not only leaves a hole in our organization but an even bigger hole in our hearts. Joan Brown and Glenis Chapin have been tireless advocates for elevating the volunteer management profession through NAVPLG and on the local level in their communities. Their journey in volunteer management started long before NAVPLG, so they came to the table with experience and enthusiasm when we all gathered in a small conference room at the International Conference on Volunteer Administration (ICVA) in Norfolk, Virginia, in 1997 to gather ideas about starting a national organization to support managers of volunteers in local government. From that day in Norfolk, I knew there were people across the country I could call for advice, support and knowledge. After all, most of us at that time were ‘lone rangers’ in our organizations and more often than not the only person in the community who was mobilizing volunteers to help government. We’ve come along way, baby! I could go on and on about the contributions and impact that these women have made but instead I want to share a couple of stories how these women impacted my life. It was October 2001, right after the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and some of us braved up and headed to Toronto, Canada, to attend the ICVA conference. As the incoming president of NAVPLG, I was to meet with a man attending the conference who was organizing the first Asia/Pacific Conference of Volunteer Administration in partnership with ICVA to be held the following year in South Korea. He invited me to be a presenter at that conference. With young children at home I was reluctant to go across the globe for a one-day training session. I promised him I would find a NAVPLG member who would be a suitable replacement with plenty of experience who was up to the challenge. I immediately thought of Joan Brown. Joan was the perfect choice and had way more experience than I had and her public speaking and training skills in our field to this day are unmatched. Joan stepped up to the plate and represented NAVPLG with skill and grace. I will always be grateful to Joan for traveling across the world and “taking one for the team.” Disasters seem to bring out the best, especially in the volunteer world. We have heard volunteers referred to as the “silver lining of a disaster” and Glenis Chapin was my silver lining in 2005 after hurricane Wilma hit south Florida. Glenis planned to visit me for a few days before attending ICVA in Jacksonville, Florida. We thought we would have some sun and fun before heading north to the conference, only to be tricked by a strong hurricane named Wilma. Power out, no drinking water available, curfews, and limited street access around the area led me to call Glenis to discourage her from coming to south Florida. Instead, I told her to skip my area and go directly to Jacksonville a few days later. I told her I was working crazy hours from sun up to sundown, and we wouldn’t be having much fun. She wouldn’t hear it. She said in true volunteer manager style, “WOW, this sounds like a great training opportunity, and I want to come and help you!” I repeated the mantra…to no avail. Two days later I picked up Glenis at the airport and our crazy week began. We were assigned to the Point of Distribution (POD) in a local park in Coral Springs passing out water, ice, Meal Ready to Eat (MRE) boxes and tarps to hundreds of people who needed assistance. Glenis was part of our recovery team and truthfully, I don’t know how I would have done it without her. She was not only an efficient and calm resource at the POD, she calmed me down when I was “one tarp away from a total meltdown.” She stayed positive and upbeat when the situation was tiring, hot and stressful. I would guess that Glenis put in a full week’s worth of work in just a few days, but our nights were full of wine, laughs, and reading by flashlight. And if that wasn’t enough, Glenis created a power point presentation about our recovery efforts to show at the conference from all the pictures that she took. I am not only blessed to have these women as my colleagues, but also as my friends. Thank you Glenis and Joan for the legacy you leave. We applaud your service and simply say…WELL DONE! I posed a few questions to Joan and Glenis as they leave their careers. I hope you will feel as inspired as I was when I read them.
NAVPLG - Special Addition