Spotlight On Mark Mattson, Volunteer Appreciation Week 2021

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I first met Mark at our Stupid Fast Go-Karting program on July 14th 2019. He had come to us as he and his three kids were facing the end stages of his wife Teri's metastatic breast cancer. They went on to experience that unspeakable loss on October 1st, 2019. Since then, Mark has gone on to become one of our most highly engaged members. While there is much discussion around PTSD plaguing caregivers who experience such tragedies, to me Mark is shining example of post traumatic growth. He  keeps showing up over and over again for himself and his kids. And he keeps showing up for the guys and gals in our community that are in that same place he was in back in July of 2019. He doesn't just show up for the fun events at Jack's. He shows up for the hard stuff too. He has been coaching caregivers for us as a volunteer Jack-to-Jack Coach. And he recently accepted the challenge to facilitate our Thirsty Thursday virtual happy hours. In that role he has demonstrated a remarkable talent for facilitation which, if you've never tried it, is way harder than it looks! He's a deep listener and is great at reflecting much of what the participants share back to them, validating and inspiring them in the process. We are honored and humbled by Mark's energy and enthusiasm for our mission and especially for his support as one of our key volunteers!
-Kyle Woody, Founder & Executive Director-