Volunteer Spotlight – Matt

What can we say about Matt but what a fantastic volunteer. From Fantastic Friends, to Fitness to Events, Matt does it all! 

Welcome to the world of our wonderful volunteer Matt. Matt has been volunteering since June 2022 but in his short amount of time volunteering he has certainly left a sizeable impression on our participants and Playhouse. From the pictures you can see Matt’s stature is larger than life as he generally towers over all but his heart and kind nature make him a genuine force in our volunteering world. He can generally be found on Tuesday nights rallying up the fitness class, sweating it out in fun filled manner, boosting the confidence of all participants, pushing them to make their own best of all’s. He also has been a vital volunteer during different events seen below as a beach ghost buster and during the holiday as a toy donator. This was especially kind as he held his own holiday party and instead of asking for gifts for himself, he so graciously encouraged his guests to bring toys for GiGi’s Playhouse San Diego. We certainly love the volunteer spirit Matt exudes and are so thankful he landed at GiGi’s Playhouse San Diego.   

In January, we shared a bit about the awesomeness of one of our volunteers Matt during the holidays now is that continuation from his own words: 

How did you find GiGi’s Playhouse San Diego? 

My good friend, Nick Coleman, volunteered as a tutor at GiGi’s, and when I expressed to him that I wanted to get involved here in San Diego, he recommended I looked into GiGi’s and put me in touch with Jeri Gurley! When I met with Jeri, we both agreed that joining Fitness Fun on Tuesday nights would be a good fit!  

What inspired you to volunteer? 

My Dad and my high school. My Dad volunteered at an alternative school in Boston. I remember how busy he was with work and our family, yet he still found time to give back, and I was always amazed and inspired by that.  

My high school’s motto was “Enter to Learn, Leave to Serve”. Community service was a major initiative at our school, and the importance of giving back was one of our school’s core values.  

What is your favorite thing about GiGi’s? 

The smiles! The Gigi’s community is so positive! From Fitness Fun, Fantastic Friends, or one of the seasonal outings, seeing the smiles is the most rewarding aspect of GiGi’s! Whether those smiles come from participants, volunteers, or family, it is a bright spot in my life!  

What would you like to see us incorporate or do? 

Extend Gigi’s outreach! This is an amazing community to be a part of, and I think it would be amazing if more people benefited from it! Whether it’s more volunteers, participants, and programs available to all, extending the community would be wonderful!  

Also, I volunteered at Big Brothers & Big Sisters of Boston before this. I think some form of 1 on 1 mentoring and friendship could be a great program.  

Matt certainly brings a true sense of what being an amazing volunteer is and we are so incredibly grateful!