Angela DeSmet and Christopher Taylor!
As you know, it is a rare thing for us to have two volunteers of the month. This month, two volunteers deserving the distinction instantly sprung to mind, and no amount of dice-rolling, straw-drawing, name-out-of-hat-picking, or rock-’em-sock-’em-robot-tournamenting left us any closer to picking just one. And so, this month, we honor two of our hardest working board members: Angela DeSmet and Christopher Taylor.
Each in their own way, Angela and Christopher have shown incredible leadership on the 826michigan board and have done so in that quiet, behind-the-scenes way that few others notice, but that every organization needs desperately. They’re the kinds of board members who you ask for a favor and they practically race each other (elbows flying, most of the time) to offer to help. Need to weigh the legal pros/cons of a boring contract? Christopher will do it! Need to brainstorm how we’ll connect to the local business community? Angela will do it! Is there yet another tedious committee meeting that will last past 9:30pm? They’ll both be there.
And they also do important and wonderful things without being asked. They have both been known to call us just to check in and ask how things are going and how they can help and what’s new. They have both been known to stop in at least once or twice a week just to say hello and see what, if anything, is shaking. Christopher usually does this with one of Eastern Accents’ pork buns in hand; Angela often stops in looking like some kind of snow princess.
We’re pretty sure neither one of them sleeps. In addition to being stellar volunteers, they have lots of other sweet stuff going on too.
Christopher is a lawyer at Butzel Long, a Rec. & Ed. soccer coach, a thespian, and is running for city council. He’s also really, very, incredibly tall. He’s so tall, in fact, that we have repeatedly been compelled to point out to him how very tall he is (as if he wasn’t aware of the fact).
Angela is a senior financial planner at Vintage Financial, a Leadership Ann Arbor co-chair, founder of Young Professionals, and a UM football enthusiast. She’s also really, very, incredibly pretty. But we try not to mention that too much, because after a certain point, that just comes across as creepy.
Let’s also not forget the opening night of Liberty Street Robot Supply & Repair. Christopher officiated at the robot dance off. Wearing his mad scientist lab coat, he showed his genuinely impartial approach to this role when he did not choose fellow board member Angela for one of the top spots in the contest. For her part, Angela wore a blue wig and tap shoes and a robot outfit. And sure, she wore it for the dance off, but she also wore that crazy get-up around town all day. What else is there to say?
Oh yeah: Thank you, Angela and Christopher, for everything you do for us! We love you!