This month, we shine our OCF Volunteer Spotlight on Heather Appold, one of our amazing 100+ Women Who Care Ambassadors. Along with the other Ambassadors, Heather helps bring this community-driven philanthropic event to Otsego County every year. Originally from Hemlock, MI, Heather grew up in a small farming community and attended CMU after graduating high school. (Fire Up Chips!) She holds degrees in child development and speech & language disorders from CMU. After many years working in early childhood intervention, Heather landed in the non-profit world and philanthropy. For the past 10 years, she has worked for foundations in the healthcare realm and is celebrating the completion of her second year as Director of the Kirtland Foundation with Kirtland Community College. She moved to Gaylord with her husband Drew and their son Tyler in 2018 for a wonderful professional opportunity for her husband.
To learn more about Heather, here she is in her own words:
What do you love about Otsego County?
We could have lived anywhere in northern Michigan but fell in love with the small-town feel and country life aspect, yet close to amenities and the schools. Most of our family is still down state, so the appeal of being close to I-75 is also convenient for them to visit. We quickly became a destination for family and friends to visit. It’s hard not to love golf options, wineries, breweries, and lakes.
What are your hopes for Otsego County?
In the short time I have lived here, I’ve seen tremendous growth, which is exciting. Yet I hope we continue to find a balance of the small-town charm and modern-day needs of new stores and restaurants, plus meet the housing needs. As a community, we need to attract young people and families who will be invested in our county and become the leaders of tomorrow.
My hope is that others have similar experiences like I have in our community. If you look in the right places you can find groups, organizations, and school events that will welcome you. You can become involved in as much as you like (trust me everyone is looking for a volunteer or board member) or as little as you like (quietly help at the concession stand during a game). For me, it’s easy in the community to find things I like to do, and often I’m filling my cup of giving back and enjoying what this great region offers.
What are you looking forward to working with the OCF?
I ALWAYS look forward to the 100+ Women Who Care event. As an ambassador for this event, I have the privilege of volunteering with other women who want to see our community thrive and allow women to have a voice. Through this event, we learn about non-profits and how they benefit our region. And the cool part, the attendees vote that night for which non-profits will receive the donations from the event to continue doing good work. In a busy world, this one-hour event empowers women to learn more and put their hard-earned dollars to action!
I will also share that the OCF is such an easy organization to work with, professionally and personally. Professionally, they are experts in making sure donor dollars are used to benefit many in our communities. As a new Foundation Director, I sat down with Dana in my first few months and talked through the ins and outs of running a solid foundation and being the best steward of donor money I can be. I learned so much, and I know to this day I can still call upon anyone who works there for advice when needed. And personally, it’s the smiles and people who make it easy for me to donate my time, talents, and money to the OCF. From the staff to the board members, I am always greeted with a smile and can feel the genuine care for this community.
Thank you, Heather, for sharing your time and energy with the OCF. We appreciate you!