Alan Leopold is a TDS employee whose volunteer efforts go well beyond average—volunteering when he’s close to home and when he’s on the road.
Alan has been working at TDS for the past 21 years and is a team lead for Talent Development, often traveling from the Madison office to train employees. When he’s at home, he’s a volunteer firefighter for the North Freedom Fire Department—and has been for the last 23 years, serving an average of 12-15 hours per month. As a lieutenant, he has also served as the secretary/treasurer for the last 19 years.
One of Alan’s favorite parts of being involved with the fire department is his leadership with Fire Prevention Week school activities.
“I love working with kids of all ages and teaching them how to be safety conscious,” Alan said. “I also enjoy teaching kids how to operate a fire extinguisher and safely exit a school bus or house in the event of a fire.”
When he’s away from home, Alan does not stop giving back. Alan lends a hand in the Knoxville, Tennessee area, where he helps at the Union County Humane Society—a local animal shelter where Nancy W., a fellow TDS employee, also volunteers. Alan spends his time processing wood to heat the facility, doing maintenance and performing repairs.
When Alan first traveled to Bend, Oregon for work in July 2016, Rob W., another TDS employee, invited him to help out at a local church. Now, whenever he travels to Bend, Alan packs his axe and heads to the Nativity Lutheran Church on the weekends to split and haul wood so families can heat their homes in the winter.
When asked why he chooses to volunteer even when he’s traveling, Alan said, “I like to stay busy and I feel lucky to help out these great organizations. It also makes me feel more like a member of the community, rather than just a visitor.”
Recently, Alan and his wife rescued two cats from the Sauk County Humane Society in Baraboo, Wis. and continue making weekly donations to support the shelter’s mission.
His fellow coworkers were so impressed with Alan’s dedication, he was recently named TDS’ Volunteer of the Quarter.
