Benjamin Anderson is a Cassopolis resident who works as superintendent of the Department of Public Works. He volunteers for several organizations, including the Cassopolis Main Street Committee, the local Youth Wrestling Association and the Peninsular Freemason Lodge No. 10.

 

Q: What do you do for Cassopolis Main Street?

I am president of the Main Street Committee and I help organize community events like the Christmas in Cassopolis Christmas tree lighting. We’ve done two successful fall festivals and last summer we did a sidewalk day festival. We plan on continuing to do that. We just put a board together to help me out with that. I am encouraging other people to volunteer also.

I’ve been doing it for about three years.

 

Q: How did you get involved and why?

Originally I was told there was a possibility of getting grants for the village to do more things downtown. I already work at the DPW and I like my job and I like my community. So I said, “yes” and kind of took it from there.

I am going to keep doing it because I see it benefitting my community. That is why I continue to do it because I saw I could help the community I live in.

 

Q: What’s the most rewarding part about volunteering?

Having other people see that I am taking pride in my community and having them want to take pride in the community too. For a long time that is what Cassopolis was missing — people that want to do well here and see that there are things that need to be done here and that we can do them. I think that is probably the most rewarding thing — being that spark that ignites other people to want to come out and volunteer.

 

Q: Are there any Main Street events coming up?

The Christmas tree lighting is at 5 p.m. Saturday at the Cassopolis log cabin.

 

Q: Why is it important to volunteer?

I haven’t quite been able to figure out why I keep doing the volunteering that I am doing. I see that there is a need for more things in our community for our residents to do. Our people here need jobs, they need entertainment, they need all the things other communities have that we don’t have. I think that by bringing those things here we continue to grow as a community and continue to see other opportunities here. I want us to be a community that can support itself.

 

Do you know a volunteer worthy of recognition? Nominate him or her as the Volunteer of the Week by calling Craig Haupert, community editor, at craig.haupert@leaderpub.com.