Volunteering

Glenn helped co-found RVGA to have a positive impact on his local community and to continue to grow, learn from, and support other local GIS professionals. RVGA is a professional networking group for GIS users in the Roanoke Valley area, with a mission to create a community for learning, sharing knowledge, networking with industry professionals, serving the local community, and promoting GIS technology and best practices. RVGA holds monthly meetings, where Glenn was a leader and helped with ongoing volunteer activities and knowledge-sharing sessions.

Every Thanksgiving while working in Des Plaines, Glenn created the meal delivery routes for the Des Plaines Community Foundation’s annual free Thanksgiving meal program. Each year, he built routes based on the number of volunteer drivers and the families in need, with text boxes at each stop giving volunteers specific delivery instructions. The program brings Thanksgiving dinners to homebound seniors and people with disabilities. After the program’s 11th year in 2021, the City of Des Plaines’ community social worker reached out to thank Glenn for his previous years of assistance, writing: “It’s amazing that you can take my list of 76 families requesting 350 meals and create 14 routes with text boxes at each stop with specific instructions for the volunteers.” The program was also featured in the Daily Herald, which noted that “the GIS staff at the city’s Engineering Department created route maps for the volunteers.”

Glenn volunteered at First Ascent’s indoor rock climbing gyms in the Chicago area, living near the Avondale location and working near the downtown location. Through First Ascent’s volunteer program, he volunteered six hours a month in exchange for a gym membership and to be more involved in the community. Glenn greeted customers, gave safety orientations to new climbers so everyone knew the important rules, answered members’ questions, made safety sweeps, handled simple cleaning tasks, and helped out at community events as needed.

Glenn volunteered monthly, working one six-hour construction shift a month, and hopes to join Habitat’s builders club.

Glenn volunteered through middle school and high school at the Canine Companions Rescue Center, helping the organization adopt dogs in need into good homes. He also gave extra TLC to dogs in the foster care system or at kennels.