This month, we are featuring Janice Kwapis in our OCF Volunteer Spotlight. In 2023, Janice joined the OCF Finance Committee, which reviews income and expenditures against the operating budget, receives audit reports, and develops the operating plan with projected expenses and revenues. This committee comprises community members with fiduciary skills, like Janice, whose 38-year accounting career spanned 10 different companies. Janice is a native of Pittsfield, MA, and met her husband Randy in New Hampshire at Pease Air Force base. Randy grew up in Johannesburg, which brought Janice and her family to Northern Michigan, where she likes to cross-country ski, bike, and kayak.
Janice and Randy, who will celebrate their 37th wedding anniversary this July, have two grown, married children. Their son Matt works with Randy making sleds for sled hockey, a sport for those who are unable to play stand up hockey. Matt also works for Sweetwater Music in Fort Wayne, IN. Their daughter Kayla is an ER nurse in Jacksonville, FL. Janice’s pet peeve: people who complain about a situation but don’t do anything to change it.
Here is what Janice has to say about Otsego County and the OCF in her own words.
What do you love about Otsego County?
I love the small-town atmosphere of Otsego County and all the lakes and parks so close to us.
What are your hopes for Otsego County?
COVID has changed the dynamics of the workplace, and Otsego County has grown as a result. People want to be closer to nature and away from crime in larger cities. The growth seems to have created a less friendly environment. I hope that Otsego County can remain a small, closely-knit community and keep its small-town charm.
What are you looking forward to working with the OCF?
I look forward to helping wherever I can. I always worked long days when I was working and never had time to help in the community. Since I retired, I have been able to volunteer in the community. I helped at United Way after the tornado hit Gaylord, with Toys for Tots, and as an income tax preparer at the Otsego Commission on Aging. My most recent accomplishment was helping to make Otsego County Angel Tree a non-profit entity. Otsego County Angel Tree has worked with Otsego County Toys for Tots for years providing each child with a new clothing outfit at Christmas time. Historically, all the clothing came from Angels placed on trees at local churches. The program has grown so much over the years that the clothing from the churches is not enough to meet demand, so additional funding was needed to meet the gap in demand for clothing.
Thank you, Janice, for choosing to share your heart, experience, and skills with the OCF!