The South Shore is known for their volunteer spirit. In communities all across this area there are hundreds of people giving back in some way each and every week and making a difference in people’s lives. They are fire-fighting, teaching, entertaining, raising money, driving, cooking, serving and more. Volunteerism is a vital part to building and maintaining our healthy communities and healthy lives. Once a month we feature someone on the South Shore who is volunteering their time in some way to make our community and lives stronger.

Simple Local Life and Gow’s Home Hardware are proud to recognize this month’s “Giving Back” Recipient…Tony Lantz from Bridgewater.

What are your volunteer activities?

Currently I’m president of Fresh Air Films and on the board of trustees for Art Happening Bridgewater along with being a part of the performance committee. The committee involves organizing any musical performances run through the space and co-hosting our monthly Open Mic (2nd Friday) along with the rest of the group. I also take part in the Hot Air Club at NSCC’s IT Campus which pairs staff and faculty with students from the English for Academic Purposes program. It allows us to meet and chat for an hour or so a week one-on-one to help improve their English language skills through conversation. It’s been a great experience and I’ve met some incredible people who have led amazing lives.

How long have you been volunteering in our community?

I moved here in Grade 3, so I’ve been here for 21 years. Volunteering has always been a family thing so I would say it’s been 21 years. Definitely in a much larger capacity for the last 8-9 years.

Why do you volunteer?

Volunteerism is a large part of how I was raised. I’m of the mindset that if you want to see things happen, you have to also be willing to put your own time in as well. It’s one thing to have great ideas, but it’s another thing entirely to make it a reality. Our community has a great pool of volunteers striving to improve our surrounding area.

What do you enjoy most about it?

I love being able to provide people the opportunity to experience something new. We have performers that are now staples of our Open Mic nights whose first time performing in front of people was at one of our first events. We showed The Sting this Summer at Fresh Air Films and an older gentleman brought his wife for their very first night with us because it was one of his favorite movies. People come up to us after films to let us know it’s their first time seeing a particular movie or watching one under the stars. We sometimes forget how big an impact we can make by doing what comes naturally. There are a lot of people in this community doing great things, hopefully their work will inspire others.

I love this so much. Thank you Tony for all you do and for giving back to your community! 🙂

Founded in 1848, Gow’s has been serving the residents of Bridgewater as one of the oldest established businesses in the community. Gow’s Home Hardware is the proud sponsor of the “Giving Back” profile.

Do you know someone who “Gives Back”? Please consider nominating someone here.