Congratulations to Raul Carozza of TDS Telecom for his selection as Volunteer of the Quarter!
Volunteering is a labor of love for Raul. Since 2012, he and his wife have been providing monthly community breakfasts to homeless and low-income families in the Madison, Wisconsin area.
As lead organizers of the breakfasts, Raul and his wife play an instrumental role in the continued success of this monthly event—which has fed over 10,000 people in the past eight years. They contact local businesses asking for food and monetary donations. They volunteer to pick up the donations and prepare the food in their tiny home kitchen the night before. They also recruit and manage volunteers to help run the breakfasts. In addition to serving a nutritious meal, they often supply dry socks, toiletries, and clothes.
“They have such kind hearts and genuine compassion for those in need,” Juliah B., Learning & Development Coordinator at TDS Corporate, says. “I’m absolutely amazed how much food they have cooked and how many mouths they have fed!”
Raul’s enthusiasm for volunteering doesn’t stop with the community breakfasts. In the past, he participated in the Polar Plunge to raise money for the Special Olympics and volunteered for Meals on Wheels, a program that delivers nutritious meals to people who are homebound. In addition, Raul teams up with members of the Billing Operations team to use Be Good Citizens paid time off to volunteer to help Habitat for Humanity.
“It’s evident that Raul is passionate about helping those who are less fortunate,” says Dave S., associate manager of Support & Enhancements at TDS Telecom.
Raul firmly believes volunteering can help bridge cultural divides and build a sense of community, which is why he encourages everyone to consider making a difference through volunteer work.
“The good thing about TDS is that we have the Good Citizen Program which allows you to get paid for volunteering,” Raul says. “If we have it, why not use it?”
He also stresses the importance of being open-minded about volunteering and not expecting anything in return.
“There’s always an opportunity to help people and make our community better,” Raul says. “But don’t volunteer because you feel like you have to or because you want to look good for one reason or another. It has to come from the heart.”
Congratulations Raul! Thank you for all you do to make a difference.
Guest Blogger: August Braun
August is PR Intern at TDS Telecom and a Journalism student at UW-Madison.
