Former participant Jack Pollitt gives back through volunteering

When Jack Pollitt and his family moved to Baldwin in 2004, his wife Jennifer was a stay-at-home mom and their son Jonathan was almost 2 years old. They found out about Play & Learn, and thought it would be a good opportunity for Jonathan to interact with other children. “It turned out to be a great thing for all of us,” said Jack, as they developed good friendships that continue to this day. They continued participating in parent-child groups when their daughter Julia was born in 2007. “Family Resource Center St. Croix Valley really helped us get settled into the area,” said Jack, who is an Engineering Manager at Vital Plastics.

Jack joined the Family Resource Center Board of Directors in 2013, and began serving on the Executive Committee as Treasurer the following year. He has been involved with various fundraising initiatives including planning the Family Resource Center’s annual spring fundraising gala Reach for the Stars.  “I have enjoyed helping to give back to the organization that helped us get a good solid footing when we moved to the community,” he said.

As the programs and staffing of the organization have continued to grow, the Board of Directors has considered options for addressing space constraints for office and programs. Last winter, they were presented with the opportunity to expand the square footage of their Baldwin office while maintaining a Main Street location by leasing an adjacent storefront. With an interest in construction and experience in both building and remodeling, Jack stepped forward to help lead the initiative.

“The property owners have been very generous to our organization.  They are investing in the refurbishment of the space along with the Family Resource Center to create a new multipurpose room, additional storage, a reception area, and additional and improved work space for our parent educators and our office manager,” said Jack. “We are working with Elliot Architects out of Hudson for the design of the space and will have a couple of contractors to help us do some of the work.  We will be looking for volunteer help with painting, a minor amount of flooring, some trim work, and possibly hanging a new suspended ceiling.  We are in the planning stages right now and will have a better idea of our needs for volunteer work in the next month or two.”

“We have a great staff and the work they do is really amazing! I know that the services we provide are important and valuable to any new or young family, regardless of their situation, having had that experience personally when we were just starting out our family.”

If you are interested in contributing time or financial resources to this project, please contact the Family Resource Center at 715-684-4440. Thank you!