Annie Wieschhoff says that the Travis Roy Foundation has a ripple effect for everyone involved.
If that’s true, then Annie is one of the many waves of good fortune that has swept over the foundation in the form of volunteers.
She has spent her volunteer time entering foundation data and information, such as donations and grants, and has also helped coordinate large mailings on behalf of the foundation. “Each task opens another door for me to see more of what the foundation does,” she says. “Each activity is an opportunity to learn more. As you meet people, you begin to understand what the foundation is all about and where the money goes.”
Recently, Annie helped with a mass mailing to more than 3,000 recipients. As she and her husband worked on the folding, stuffing, and licking, they were spurred on by knowing that Travis had personally signed each one of the letters.
“I’m always dazzled by what he does.”
Annie was first connected to the Travis Roy Foundation through a friend who worked at the Hemenway & Barnes LLP, the law firm that manages the organization’s finances. After having dinner with Travis, Annie could see he was the spirit of the organization, and she wanted to learn more about what the group did for others with spinal cord injuries.
Since she began volunteering, she has seen the number of foundation events increase. “You want to keep helping, and you’re always learning something new,” Annie says. While she was helping to enter grant information, Annie read the stories of those who were receiving grant money from the foundation. She has also been able to hear Dr. Macklis, a professor at Harvard University, speak about the spinal cord research he has been doing. “Seeing where the money is directly going is so important.”
Annie went to the WIFFLE ball tournament in 2011, and said it was amazing, and that it was so much more than just a fundraising event. No matter what the task, she is always happy when she is asked to help out with the foundation. “Every person I’ve met is great. And all of the jobs that people do, whether large or small, it’s because they meet Travis.”
When she is not volunteering, Annie spends her free time in the Adirondacks with her husband, or in the Boston area visiting with her three children.
