Michael LeBlanc is the Volunteer of the Month for June. Michael has considered himself a Unitarian all his life. One of his most memorable moments as a young child was a Halloween service at the church where his mother was an RE teacher in which everyone dressed up in costume for the service and then held a large Halloween festival immediately afterwards. Although he did not attend church regularly, he grew up believing in the interfaith and spiritual dimensions Unitarianism offers, as well as the respect for all religions. He joined UUCSS with his wife Madona and their children Noah and Penelope last January, seeking among other things a community for his family. Discovering that Families Living our UU Values (Families LUUV) was no longer active, apart from the semi-annual camping trips, he wrote an email “manifesto” setting forth the case for stronger family support and fellowship within the UUCSS community. At a circle discussion during Catoctin, he was selected to be Families LUUV’s new coordinator. He promptly enlisted Jeremy Holt and Catherine Boyle to help him organize the very successful Halloween Party UUCSS held only weeks later. He also joined the Children & Youth RE Committee as the Families LUUV coordinator, and soon became the chair.
In his roles as committee chair and Families LUUV coordinator, Michael and his committee have worked to support our new DRE, Catherine Boyle, as she settles into her role. Michael also concentrates on promoting fellowship within the congregation’s families and the congregation as a whole. The Children & Youth RE Committee hosts a monthly event open to the whole congregation—a potluck or a game night, or a larger event, such as the Memorial Day barbeque held at Wheaton Regional Park, where more than 80 people picnicked at a pavilion and more than 60 took a group ride on the train. Michael believes that fellowship is important for UUCSS—fellowship helps people heal and fellowship will help solidify and strengthen UUCSS as a community.