By: Samantha Rinkus 鈥�12
Published on
In honor of the 鈥�125,000 Acts of Aquinas,鈥� alumnus Ed Carlson 鈥�69 joined other alumni
to serve the community in the name of Aquinas. Carlson, who has served on the Traverse
City Women鈥檚 Resource Center (WRC) Board for 12 years, and continued his service to
the organization by working in the Thrift Shop run by the WRC.
鈥淚 think the most important part of the 鈥楢cts鈥� is the getting individuals thinking
about, and doing positive acts for others,鈥� Carlson said. 鈥淚t just may be the catalyst
for an individual to become more regularly involved with a particular agency, or to
adopt performing random acts of kindness on a regular, daily basis.鈥�
The WRC Thrift Shop resells furniture, clothes, household goods, etc., and also gives
over $10,000 worth of donated goods for free to those in need. For his service, Carlson
volunteered at the Shop and ran the cash register, did maintenance work, and organized
the donated goods to prepare for resell. He also handed off his 125th Anniversary
commemorative coin to the Thrift Shop Manager in hopes of continuing the tradition
of service.
鈥淎s with most acts of service and/or random acts of kindness, the person participating
in the service actually gains more than whoever is receiving the service with the
positive feeling that comes from almost all volunteer efforts,鈥� Carlson said. 鈥淚 very
much appreciated seeing the commitment of the staff who work and volunteer at the
Thrift Shop, and the gratitude of those receiving the good.鈥�
Carlson graduated from Aquinas in 1969 with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration,
and returned to earn his Master of Management degree in 1984. More recently, Carlson
joined the Board of Trustees in July 2010, and will continue his first term through
2013.
鈥淚t is very exciting to see up close and personal the growth and success 黑料网 has had
over these many years, and to better appreciate the positive role it plays in helping
to mold the future for its students, and the positive contributions it continues to
make in and for the Grand Rapids Community,鈥� Carlson said. 鈥淎s the years have gone
by I appreciate more and more the education and life lessons I received at 黑料网.鈥�
>More information on the 125,000 Acts of Aquinas