A Feeling of Fulfillment
On July 1st, Volunteers of America of Wisconsin welcomed our newly elected Officers of our Board of Directors. Don Brink, Manager of Financial Operations for Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management, is our new Board Chair. We recently sat down with Don Brink to chat about his family, his personal mission and his thoughts as Board Chair.
Tell us about your family.
I am married and the father of four children, three sons and one daughter. I am trying to raise them to be good people and teach them to give back to the community. Through my own work, I want to set an example and hope they can learn how to be a leader and to serve the community in which they live.
What motivated you to get involved in volunteering?
Every human being has an obligation to give back to the community and to set examples for the next generation. It is my responsibility as a human to do so and to help others. I have found that volunteering and fulfilling your duty as a member of society, gives you a feeling of fulfillment that you can’t get from a job.
What is your personal mission and how does it match to Volunteers of America?
To be the best human that I can be. This aligns with the mission of Volunteers of America because I am helping to give people who don’t have the monetary or mental capacity a chance at a better life. All of us on the Board share the mission of giving hope and the means to others to help themselves.
Is there anything that you want to see happen while being Board Chair?
Yes. I want the Board to be engaged with the mission and to fulfill the mission. I want to make sure that the Board has a clear vision of where they want to go and what they want to do. Everyone must be on the same page to get somewhere and the Board must be moving toward the same goal. As the Board Chair, I want to make sure this will happen and to see it through.
What are some other activities you do during your free time?
A large amount of my time is spent with family and raising my children. I want them to be the best they can be and I am teaching them to be productive members of our society. I also enjoy making furniture, fixing things around the house, and golfing in my spare time.
All of us at Volunteers of America wish to thank Don and all our Board Members for their time and dedication to our mission. The newly elected Board officers include Don Brinks, Margie Brusa from North Shore Bank, and David Stamm from Stamm Business Technologies, Cathy Van Meter from Cathy Van Meter Illustrations, and Debra Schueller. Our Board Directors are Terese Capizzi from Northwestern Mutual, Jon Donahue from Johnson Bank, Ryan Kopp from Inland Companies, Yvonne Lumsden-Dill with Cardinal Stritch University, Gerald Mayhew with Trebon & Mayhew, Pam F. Queoff with M3 Insurance, and Jim Stewart with Volunteers of America of Wisconsin.