Snow also helps do the maintenance at the Southwick Recreation Center. (Photo by Greg Fitzpatrick)
SOUTHWICK – Volunteering in the community seems to come natural for Ray Snow. In 1981, while Snow was watching his eight-year-old son play for the baseball team sponsored by the Southwick Fire Department, he was approached by the coaches to help them. Shortly after, Snow became a part of the Board of Directors for the Southwick Recreation Center, a non-profit organization in town that was established in 1961.
Snow is a former President of the organization and is the current Vice-President. During his time with the Rec Center, the 72-year-old Southwick resident has helped organize fundraisers to benefit the non-profit organization, including bingo, benefit dinners, and comedy shows. Volunteers of the recreation center like Snow can also be seen parking cars for the Rugged Maniac and the Motocross Nationals in addition to helping organize all of the sports that are offered at the recreation center to the youth as well as adults.
“That kind of stuff pays our bills,” said Snow.
Coaching youth baseball as part of the program at the recreation center, Snow and his wife, Janet, also umpired softball games from 1985 to 1990.
Snow’s volunteer work extends beyond the sports programs at the recreation center, as he can be seen making repairs in the gymnasium and cleaning the floors.
“Usually, I get the call if something broke,” Snow laughed.
When Snow isn’t conducting his volunteer work at the recreation center, he enjoys driving to the facility and seeing it being put to use.
“I just love to go by here on the weekends and the see the fields full of kids,” said Snow.
Southwick Recreation Center. (Photo by Greg Fitzpatrick)
His enjoyment of and dedication to the recreation center comes full circle in nearby communities when he goes to his grandson’s sports games in Longmeadow and hears positive remarks about the Southwick facility.
“How can they afford to have such beautiful soccer fields?” someone will mention to Snow.
Snow was a volunteer firefighter at the Southwick Fire Department for almost 20 years. After retiring five years ago, the former construction worker has been a volunteer at the Our Lady of the Lake Church where he mows the property and also snow blows the sidewalks in the winter.
To honor Snow for his nearly 40 years of contributions to the Southwick Recreation Center, the Center’s board of directors is hosting a recognition dinner on Saturday at the recreation center. A social hour will begin at 6 p.m., followed by a dinner at 7 p.m.
The event will also include naming the gymnasium at the recreation center after Snow. Tickets are available at Southwick Florist by making a $5 donation to go towards the recreation center.
People in the community who have worked alongside Snow for years believe he deserves this honor.
“Ray is the consummate volunteer,” said Russ Fox, who’s on the Board of Directors for the Southwick Recreation Center. “He’s certainly dedicated to Southwick, I can’t say enough good about the guy, he’s a jack of all trades.”
Kirk Sanders, the President of the recreation center called Snow the “ultimate volunteer.”
“He never stops, he’s on the go all the time,” said Sanders. “He’ll give you the shirt off his back.”
“Ray calls everybody his friend. He will do anything he can to help somebody out. That’s just his nature,” said Snow’s wife Janet.
Janet remembers driving home some days from work and seeing lawnmowers in their front yard. People would drop off their lawnmowers to Ray and he would fix them at no cost.
Snow laughed that Fox, Sanders, and others tried to hide the event from him and make it a surprise, but that attempt didn’t seem to be successful.
“I said, ‘how can you hide it from me when I’m here all the time?’”
Nevertheless, Snow was shocked to find out that he would be recognized for his years of volunteering in his community.
“I really don’t want recognition, all I want is, ‘hey thanks,’” said Snow. “It’s rather humbling.”
