Calvit volunteers everywhere

Published 12:00 am Thursday, November 18, 1999

The thing to ask Andrew Calvit is not where he volunteers, but where doesn’t he volunteer?

But Calvit does not volunteer simply to take up his time. His schedule is already pretty full between spending time with his family, working as a Mississippi Valley Gas marketing representative and participating in his church, Windy Hill Baptist Church.

Instead, he volunteers with several organizations because he believes it is his duty to help fill the needs he sees in the community — and because, in many cases, he was asked by others to do so.

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Calvit first volunteered as a Little League coach because, when he was growing up in Cranfield, there were no organizing recreational leagues in his area.

&uot;I&160;wanted to give them a chance to do something I&160;never got to do as a child,&uot;&160;Calvit said.

Then he was asked to serve on a Habitat for Humanity subcommittee and, from there, began working on a Habitat house alongside other volunteers and the families for whom the houses were being built.

&uot;That’s something I&160;really enjoy,&uot; he said. &uot;You get close to the families.&uot;

From there, Calvit’s friends began asking him to serve on the boards of other non-profits. He is now president of Habitat’s Adams County chapter, chairman of the the local American Red Cross chapter and a board member of the United Way of the Miss-Lou.

&uot;With every group, I&160;try to do some (grassroots) volunteer work in addition to serving on their boards,&uot;&160;he said. For example, Calvit helped out at a Red Cross shelter during Hurricane Georges.

And Calvit volunteers with those organizations because he really believes in the work they do. The thing he likes most about United Way, for instance, is that by donating to that organization, a person helps fund 27 non-profit groups at once.

Calvit also volunteers with the Natchez-Adams County public schools, including serving as an advisory committee member at Natchez Middle School. He is a motivational speaker for the local Job Training Partnership Act program.

He also serves on the boards of Leadership Natchez and the Natchez Chamber of Commerce as well as two city boards. &uot;I’d like to challenge others to volunteer, too,&uot; he said. &uot;There’s so much out there that needs to be done, and so many opportunities to make a difference in someone’s life.&uot;