Our December Limelight feature focuses on one of our newest board members, Eric Bartosz. We sat down with Eric to find out more about him and why he chose to volunteer with Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Lehigh Valley.
Eric is the founder of BAR40, and resides in Center Valley with his family.
Position with BBBSLV:
Board Member and Fundraising Committee
What drew you to volunteer with BBBSLV?
A tremendous amount of talented and generous people reside in the Lehigh Valley and many of them may not have full awareness of how they can assist BBBSLV. One aspect of volunteering that appealed to me was the opportunity to help introduce the people in my network of friends and associates to the wonderful life-changing work that BBBSLV is doing every day. Being able to assist in making the connections between people who are willing and able to help with the people who could use it most is always a priority for me. Also, I’m a huge proponent of the benefits of an active lifestyle and wanted to put my experience in this area to use in helping build a fitness platform that Littles in the program can add to their life. Habits we form in childhood tend to stay with us and that definitely includes great ones like a healthy diet and frequent exercise.
What keeps you motivated throughout the day?
Goals! Identifying target achievements that we want to see happen in our life and creating the plan to make sure those aspirations are realized is something we can all be working towards every day. When we see the results of our daily perseverance it’s a continuous source of motivation and that success creates the passion for more success. As the expression goes, “The road to personal excellence is always under repair”!
Who is one mentor who made an impact on your life and how?
That’s a tough question! Picking only one would be a disservice to the many others who have shared (and continue to share) their wisdom and advice over the years. My approach has always been to get to know the people you admire most. Oftentimes that’s as simple as if you’re thinking something nice…don’t keep it yourself, reach out to give positive feedback and start a conversation. Social media and. In particular, LinkedIn has really opened the doors up for that sort of communication ease. Generally speaking people are inclined to share their ‘secrets to success’ if you simply ask the questions. Practicing that outreach over the years has put me in the fortunate position to become friends with people at the top of their field in all sorts of areas that I would consider mentors. That said, the advice I give to others and also live by is it get to know your future self and let that older, wiser version of you become a constant voice of advice and guidance. Essentially, create a self-mentoring program and be sure that you stay in frequent contact! When you’re in the habit of making decisions in the present that are seen through the filter of your future self you take a huge step in the right direction towards avoiding the regrets of ever having to say “I wish I did this differently when I was younger”
Do you volunteer anywhere else, or are you involved with other community organizations?
I’m a firefighter with the Upper Saucon Fire Department, community race organizer, and coach for Southern Lehigh lacrosse
Describe volunteering with BBBSLV in one word.
Enlightening