VOLUNTEER SPOTLIGHT FOR AUGUST IS ROXANNE BAIDEME!

*The following write-up/picture is the latest edition of our monthly volunteer spotlight of volunteers in the Westfield Rec. Dept. We are blessed in the Rec. Dept. to have so many wonderful people who do and have volunteered their time both now and, in the past, to make our department and programs/events what they are today. We want to say THANK YOU! To nominate someone for volunteer spotlight, please send us a private message on Facebook or call/text Andrew at 753-6842. (We apologize that we have fallen behind on recent spotlights and will do our best to get caught up in the future)

Our volunteer spotlight for August is Roxanne Baideme! Roxanne has volunteered in the Rec. Dept. for over 35 years. Throughout that time, she has served as the longest-tenured member of the Westfield Recreation Commission. When she first served on the Commission it was with the original Rec. Director Jack Voelker, and then former Rec. Director Venn Blakely for 28 years, to still serving on the Commission now with current Rec. Director Andrew Webster over the last 6 years. In addition to serving on the Commission, Roxanne has also volunteered in the adult volleyball program, has assisted with car shows, carnivals, roller skating, the Harvest Challenge and other youth sports. She has also helped with the annual Tour of Chautauqua bike ride for many years where she is one of the mainstays of our early-morning registration team.

In Roxanne’s words “I enjoyed seeing and chatting with the participants and seeing them enjoying themselves and adding their zest of life to the evening.” For several years now, the Tour of Chautauqua bike ride has become the annual event that Roxanne has helped with. Regarding the Tour, Roxanne said “It is so interesting to see the variety of persons and ages from many places who come to ride through our beautiful community and countryside. You can ride a 25, 40, 75 or 100 mile ride and get a quick meal at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church upon your return. It is quite the sight to see near 100 or more cyclists take off on their rides. Everyone likes the t-shirts, and I may have one for each year I have helped!” Roxanne is such a great advocate for the Rec. Dept. and will always be one of the first people to let others know about the programs and events that the Rec. Dept. offers. Listening to her describe the programs and events is a real treat, as she describes them with such enthusiasm, and she brings so much joy to the programs and events she volunteers with.

Roxanne has spent a large portion of her life serving the community of Westfield. Most volunteers that we are blessed to work with in the Rec. Dept. do not usually have such longevity regarding the time they have served. As to why Roxanne has spent so much time volunteering, she said “I volunteer because I like to help people whenever I can, and I like to have as many ages as possible involved. We were all kids once! I think we can enjoy seeing, encouraging, participating, or just recalling pleasant events where we learned, smiled, engaged, and enjoyed life and sought to keep ourselves active. I am a strong believer in the Welch Field programs. I am grateful for the positive experiences, life lessons, swim lessons in a safe environment for not only my children, grandchildren and even to my great grandchildren now! We are fortunate to have such a program in our midst as well as the other offerings of the Westfield Rec. Dept.” The fact that Roxanne has volunteered in the Rec. Dept. long enough to see four generations of her family participating in Rec. Dept. programs are truly a blessing that we do not get to witness with most of our volunteers.

Roxanne is still actively involved with volunteering for the Rec. Dept. as she still serves on the Commission and helps with the bike ride and other events occasionally. However, what is neat about talking to Roxanne about rec. programs and events, is that she is incredible at remembering the events and programs that we had in the past that we no longer offer. The history lesson of the Westfield Rec. Dept. is often best told by Roxanne and is truly a joy to listen to her describe. We are so blessed to have a Rec. Dept. in a community our size and it would not be possible without amazing volunteers like Roxanne. Roxanne added “Being active is a lifelong way toward preserving our health and the health of our families and friends. Whatever you can, please try to do. Every little bit helps! Be happy, reduce stress, smile and enjoy the good things in life.” We could not have said it better ourselves. Roxanne’s attitude is the kind of attitude and enthusiasm that we strive for in the Westfield Rec. Dept. We would like to thank Roxanne for her many years of service to the Dept. and for the infectious energy she has always brought with her!

Past Volunteer Spotlights:

July 2020: Christian Caballero

August 2020: Carol Reynolds

September 2020: Don Parker

October 2020: Luci Petrella

November 2020: John Emmons

December 2020: The Baum Family (Chris, Shannon, Mason, and Logan)

January 2021: Chris Anderson

February 2021: Roger Miller

March 2021: The Dellow Family (Wade, Wendy, Hunter, and Haleigh)

April 2021: Jim Van Dyke

May 2021: Josh & Amy Belcher