It may sound trite but in the world of volunteerism one person can make a difference. Rodney Mondor, assistant dean of student life, is familiar with this concept. For the past eight years he has held the title of volunteer event coordinator for a Thanksgiving dinner sponsored by the United Way.
The dinner, held at The Pavilion and open to all “no questions asked,” has been a Portland tradition since 1992. Mondor became involved while working for the United Way in 1994 and carried his title through several career changes.
Mondor’s path reflects his attitude. He’s “always been doing community service” in one form or another.
Thanksgiving, a day most people devote to family, is a chaotic exhausting day for Mondor. However, while their participation is essential to the operation, Mondor’s day isn’t focused primarily on his own family. He spends his Thanksgivings – as he has done for the past seven years – in a state of what he fondly refers to as “organized chaos.”
As volunteer event coordinator of a dinner feeding over 300 people at The Pavilion and nearly as many participants of Meals on Wheels, a Salvation Army program, Mondor is responsible for the entire day’s events, from set-up to shut-down. He laughs and says “That’s my day – I don’t start until then.”
His responsibilities include everything from table placement, assigning jobs and clean up. Fortunately, there’s no shortage of volunteers. Every year the 150 slots needed to cover the positions are filled before November.
It’s a long day for Mondor, beginning at 9 a.m., when he opens the doors to The Pavilion. A service group of local high school students gathers in the morning to assist with set-up. The 42 turkeys donated by Hannaford employees and cooked the day before by Dimillo’s and The Village Caf? must all be carved, the canned foods collected by People’s Heritage Bank are whisked away to begin the transformation into a bona fide Thanksgiving meal.
The day is a flurry of activity, beginning with the delivery of the Meals on Wheels dinners starting at 10 a.m. The Pavilion doors open to the public just one hour later. Serving a sit-down, wait-service dinner until 2 p.m. and finishing with clean up hopefully by 4 p.m., Mondor said “We never eat.”
One may wonder when he sees his family on this typically family-oriented day. Mondor explained the first year he was so exhausted that instead of making the family rounds, he slept his exhaustion away. The following year, although he managed to show up, his participation was less than desirable.
Finally his family adopted the “If you can’t beat ’em, join ’em” attitude. Mom, Dad and brother arrive Thanksgiving morning, each assigned to a task for the day. Mom coordinates set-up, while Dad stands guard as security. While one wouldn’t expect a need for security at a goodwill event such as Thanksgiving, there was a mishap in the past, when the dinner was held at TGIF’s in the Old Port. The incident involved a man taking liberties behind the bar.
Mondor described the comical event, saying “He was just back there with the vodka, pouring drinks for everybody.”
The Pavilion is a well-stocked bar, but Mondor takes precautionary measures to prevent future problems.
Although it may not have been intentional because he “felt like [he] could do something better than sitting at home and pigging out,” Mondor has begun a new family tradition. It is his hope that his efforts will “promote volunteerism and service to the community all year long.”
Mondor’s excursions include counseling services at the Frannie Peabody Center where he organized volunteers for the Aids Project, and here at USM where his primary role is as “advocate for students.” Like many here in the USM community, Mondor commits himself to servicing others.
Although volunteer positions for this event are full, there are many opportunities to volunteer. If interested in getting involved in volunteer work, contact VolunteerPortland.org.