{"id":2276,"date":"2016-08-15T15:03:09","date_gmt":"2016-08-15T20:03:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.maryville.edu\/mpress\/?p=2276"},"modified":"2017-02-15T11:47:37","modified_gmt":"2017-02-15T17:47:37","slug":"buettner-takes-mro-2016","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.maryville.edu\/mpress\/buettner-takes-mro-2016\/","title":{"rendered":"Summer Challenge: Buettner Takes on MRO 2016"},"content":{"rendered":"

Reading time: 5 minutes<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s not the easiest summer job, but student Aaron Buettner is learning new skills, and more importantly, his work will benefit over 80 non-profit agencies and give hundreds of volunteers an opportunity to engage in service work. Buettner, a senior majoring in physical therapy<\/a> and business administration<\/a>, is this year\u2019s student coordinator for Ë¿¹ÏÊÓƵAPPReaches Out<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Ë¿¹ÏÊÓƵAPPReaches Out will be held Tuesday, Sept. 20. Registration begins Aug. 29, however, if you\u2019d like to be a team leader, you can register now; <\/strong>projects are available for review<\/strong><\/a>. Follow updates on social media using the hashtag #MRO16.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Each year, the entire Ë¿¹ÏÊÓƵAPP community is invited to participate in Ë¿¹ÏÊÓƵAPPReaches Out (MRO), a day-long event during which volunteers work on community service projects throughout St. Louis and beyond. Typically, more than 1,000 Ë¿¹ÏÊÓƵAPPvolunteers fan out across the region. Classes beginning before 4 p.m. are cancelled, and staff are excused from the office in order to encourage participation.<\/p>\n

Coordinating this signature effort is project management to the max. Kathy Quinn, dean of students, says Buettner rose to the challenge.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are so many moving parts to MRO and Aaron has done a great job balancing them all,\u201d Quinn says. \u201cHe has been working diligently all summer preparing for MRO and has done an outstanding job connecting with agencies, enhancing our marketing efforts, and developing new initiatives to incorporate into the day. I can\u2019t wait to see the results of his hard work and dedication come to life on September 20. It\u2019s going to be a great day.\u201d\"Buettner.B\"<\/a><\/p>\n

For Buettner, a typical day starts with checking the MRO email account to keep up to date on what agencies have applied, respond to any questions, and make sure things are on track. In fact, both the daily and weekly view features a lot of \u201creaching out.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI reach out to all the agencies who want to be involved, plan the send-off celebration the morning of Ë¿¹ÏÊÓƵAPPReaches Out, help maintain the website for people to view and register for projects, and recruit project leaders and participants,\u201d Buettner says. \u201cThe one thing that is the same on a majority of days is my lunch break to Chipotle. I had Chipotle for lunch thirteen times in one month.\u201d<\/p>\n

Staying ahead in the process is important, Buettner says. \u201cIf I fall behind, it takes twice as long to catch up,\u201d he says. Managing a second job, too\u2014Buettner is a member of the event staff for the St. Louis Cardinals, a gig that keeps him busy working nearly every home game\u2014makes for long days. \u201cI\u2019ve worked over 80 hours some weeks,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

Buettner has enjoyed making connections with leaders of the MRO project agencies. \u201cI am a huge people-person,\u201d he says. \u201cIt has been so cool to meet genuinely good-hearted\u00a0people who want to help others, just like me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo many projects can be so small and you may not think they make a difference. But I promise that no matter how small, every sign of love is appreciated, and could drastically\u00a0impact someone’s life…”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

He\u2019d like to set a record this year: \u201cMy first day, I was going through numbers of previous years. Our record was just over 1100 participants back in 2013. I would love to match, if not beat this,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

As a new component this year, Ë¿¹ÏÊÓƵAPPwill host a food and toiletry drive in conjunction with MRO. The idea was proposed by Buettner to involve even more volunteers, and to create a broader impact overall. \u201cHopefully, we can send multiple van loads of items out to an agency in need,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

Buettner was already familiar with MRO, and brings a volunteer perspective to his job. \u201cI have participated in Ë¿¹ÏÊÓƵAPPReaches Out each of the last three years,\u201d Buettner says. \u201cIt is one of those things where you truly do get out as much as you put in, even if that is clich\u00e9. And choosing a project where you don’t know the other volunteers is a great way to make friends with your peers.\u201d<\/p>\n

The most important takeaway he received as an MRO volunteer came during his first year of experience, Buettner says.<\/p>\n

\u201cI volunteered at a local school for\u00a0underprivileged children. In talking with the teacher, I found out that one girl had no parents, a boy had both parents in prison, and another child came from a well-off family who got scammed and lost everything,\u201d he says. \u201cIt made me realize everyone has their own story. It is so important to treat everyone with respect and dignity.\u201d<\/p>\n

While Buettner is a strong advocate for Ë¿¹ÏÊÓƵAPPReaches Out, he encourages the Ë¿¹ÏÊÓƵAPPcommunity to look beyond this important event for additional opportunities to give back. \u201cMRO doesn’t have to last just this one day,\u201d he says. \u201cSo many projects can be so small and you may not think they make a difference. But I promise that no matter how small, every sign of love is appreciated, and could drastically\u00a0impact someone’s life…maybe even your own, because, as Mahatma\u00a0Gandhi\u00a0said, \u2018The best\u00a0way to find yourself is\u00a0to lose yourself in the service of others.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/i>Love<\/span>0<\/span><\/span><\/a> <\/i> <\/i>