Volunteer Stories
Fulfilling Volunteer Work Also Fulfills a Promise
When he was still busily working full time and friends invited him to volunteer with various organizations, Tran Trong would almost always answer, “Maybe when I retire I will do that.” After nearly a quarter of a century with Alcon Laboratories out of a four-decade long professional career, Tran retired a few years ago as a director in project management. “Retirement came, so I had to fulfill my promise, right?,” he says with a smile.
Tran has more than fulfilled his promise. His dedication to volunteering is so great that United Way selected him to be an honoree at the 2010 Volunteer Center of North Texas “Lone Star Salute” celebrating Tarrant County volunteerism. The Arlington resident currently serves on the United Way Board of Directors and co-chairs the Health Council, which oversees United Way’s new Live Well healthy aging and independent living initiative.
Tran also chairs the Area Agency on Aging Nominations and By-Laws Committee and serves on the United Way-Arlington Steering Committee. Elsewhere, he is a member of the Senior Citizen Services Board of Directors and the Arlington Neighborhood Resource Coordinating Group of Meals On Wheels. Tran is a member of the Rotary Club of Fort Worth where he has served as a Board member and an officer of the club and has been active in its adopt-a-school programs.
In September Tran led a delegation representing Fort Worth Sister Cities International and the City of Fort Worth that went to Bandung in Indonesia as guests of Mayor H. Dada Rosada to help celebrate that city’s 200th anniversary. Bandung is one of seven sister cities affiliated with Fort Worth, and Tran is the Bandung City Chair, a Board member and a member of the Executive Committee of Fort Worth Sister Cities International.
“Volunteering takes a little time, but not a lot, and you’d be surprised at the benefit others feel you have been able to contribute to those organizations and therefore to the community,” he says. “People who are retired can bring a lot to the table from their experience and their contacts. Since most nonprofits are understaffed, the contribution of experience, ideas and contacts by board members and other volunteers is very important.”
United Way and the other grateful organizations that benefit from Tran Trong’s volunteer service could not agree more.
UTA School of Social Work Helps the Homeless
During Social Work Month, the University of Texas at Arlington School of Social Work gathered items to donate to the Presbyterian Night Shelter, one of United Way's partner agencies.
