I was one of the pack of students hollering “Go Rebels!” at football and basketball games, and I volunteered with the other members of the Intergenerational Club at local nursing homes and also visited the nearby state school to teach my friends there the alphabet and play games.

It was then, as a teenager, that I first saw there was something in the world that was bigger than me, bigger than my family. I just didn’t have a name for it.

Then, I arrived at Westfield State College in 1981, and I learned the phrase associated with this kind of giving: community involvement. And boy, did I get involved.

I was a member of the on-campus Massachusetts Public Interest Research Group, on a committee that helped bring about the passage of the Bottle Bill. I wrote for the student newspaper, then called The Owl. I danced and sang in the Musical Theatre Guild. I volunteered in local schools. I babysat. I did community involvement, on and off campus.

That didn’t change after I graduated, got married and had a family. I volunteered in my daughters’ preschools and held leadership roles on their PTOs as they grew. I was active in my church and served on its governing board. I helped raise money for countless local causes.

I was all about community, and I’m grateful to Walpole High School and Westfield State for planting and nurturing those important seeds within my psyche.

Community engagement—the buzz words you’re more apt to hear on campuses or in the business community now—is important for every citizen to take seriously. It is giving back. It’s about showing gratitude for the fact that we have healthy, vibrant cities and towns that support us with resources of all kinds.

I think it’s especially important for business owners and organization leaders to be involved in their communities. Yes, it’s good for business because you are out there meeting people, networking, making connections. But it’s also good for everyone around you—those real and important people who ensure that your business thrives and survives. It’s a way to thank your community for the privilege of being a successful entrepreneur.

The way I do community engagement is quieter now, far less public than it once was. This, because I realized I had something to give that was bigger than brownies for the bake sale. I have skills that allow me to tell stories and raise awareness for groups that needed visibility to increase their reach and touch lives. I am especially all-in for that.

So, instead of changing diapers in the church nursery, I’m doing things like writing press releases that help United Way of Hampshire County promote its work and its partner organizations.

Instead of serving lasagna for the cot shelter in Northampton on a team with fellow church parishioners, I’m writing stories about cancer survivors and caregivers for the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life of Hampshire County to raise dollars for research and programming.

Instead of sitting in PTO meetings, taking minutes, I’m doing PR—writing blogs, press releases and Facebook posts for organizations in the Valley that support children, the arts and people in need.

Unlike the kind of volunteer work I used to do, my work now goes unseen, and that’s fine with me. I know that, in the quiet of it, there is the potential that I am helping more people.

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He helps clean up local parks. He plants flowers around Town Hall, and he volunteers at the Salvation Army, vacuuming and tidy up.

“He has even started keeping a photo album of these many activities,” said Barbara Pilarcik, executive director of The Association for Community Living in Springfield, a nonprofit that provides an array of services to people living with disabilities, including Quigley.

Pilarcik’s comments were offered on June 16 during The Association’s Annual Dinner and Awards Ceremony at the Log Cabin in Holyoke, where Quigley received an achievement award for his good work in the community.

“Bill has taken a great interest in community involvement over the past year, and he has also shown great personal growth, asking to participate in social outings at home such as going to the movies with his housemates,” Pilarcik said.

She told Quigley the organization was proud of him before an audience of roughly 300 individuals served, their families, staff, board members, volunteers and donors.

In addition to presenting 11 achievement awards to individuals served in Hampden, Hampshire, Franklin and Berkshire counties, Pilarcik also honored staff with awards and discussed milestones the organization accomplished over the past year.

Pilarcik highlighted that the agency:

Held its first-ever Leadership Institute, providing high-quality management training to 20 emerging leaders at the agency.

Partnered with Baystate Health to present “Crash Reel” to over 200 community members.  “Crash Reel” is a documentary that tells the story of a New England family and their son, an Olympic ski boarder who is recovering from a horrific head injury.

Produced an original play, “Once Upon a Bog,” involving more than 30 teens and adults from the Whole Children and Milestones programs to a sold-out audience.

Opened a new, fully accessible Residential Services home on Meadow Street in Agawam.

“These are just some of the highlights we have experienced,” Pilarcik said. “They don’t begin to capture the many acts of kindness that occur daily at The Association for Community Living.”

For more information about the services and programs of The Association for Community Living, visit www.theassociationinc.org.

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