From Meals on Wheels to School Murals, Retiree Volunteer Does It All

Meet Daily Point of Light Award honoree John Leskovec. Read his story, and nominate an outstanding volunteer or family as a Daily Point of Light.

John Leskovec had always been a volunteer throughout his life. But when COVID hit in 2020 and Activate Good held a virtual town hall connecting him to Meals on Wheels, something shifted — and his commitment to community service took on a new level of purpose.

The 70-year-old Cary, North Carolina resident retired last year after a long career in finance — first at IBM, then with the state of North Carolina — and now devotes much of his time to serving others. He delivers meals to homebound seniors every Monday morning, wraps diapers for families, reads to kids at a Title I elementary school three times a week, tends a community garden that donates food to a local pantry and shows up to Habitat for Humanity builds and Activate Good service projects whenever he can. On top of all of that, he sits on the board of Activate Good — a Points of Light Global Network affiliate serving the Raleigh-Durham area — and chairs its community engagement committee.

John has logged nearly 100 hours of volunteer service with Activate Good alone this year. He shows up to projects with his own tools — a pitchfork for mulching a school campus, a drill for building birdhouses with teens. For John, every need he encounters is an opportunity to pitch in.

What inspires you to volunteer?

I feel a need to help others. I feel good when I do, and I think volunteering has allowed me to extend that help further into the community than I could have done on my own. It’s a great opportunity to figure out how to provide that help — and to get the satisfaction of doing it.
One of the activities that I did for 10 years was to run a Christmas tree lot at our church and the proceeds went to the Appalachian Service Project, which is an organization that rehabilitates houses for people in Appalachia.

Volunteering has always been a main priority in my life, but it accelerated during COVID. Like everyone else, I was sitting around, isolated from others. Activate Good held a virtual town hall meeting and introduced me to Meals on Wheels. The representative there said they really needed drivers, and since you can deliver meals without being in close contact with people, it seemed like a good fit. I’ve been delivering every Monday morning since 2020.

What are those Monday morning deliveries like?

I do two routes — about 23 people total — and I see many of the same clients every week. Over the years, some have passed away, but what I’ve come to appreciate is that this work helps people stay in their homes right up until the end. Many of them live alone and don’t have the means for outside care. Sometimes they ask me to open their food for them. One client had a car run into his mailbox, so I put in a new post and got it back up for him.
These are small things, but they matter. They’re always happy to see me, and I try to give them the best smile and greeting I can every week.

What are some other volunteer projects you’ve participated in?

At Brooks Elementary School, a Title 1 school, I donate my time three times a week in reading to kids through their Partner Read Program, distributing donated books through their Book Stop and assisting the media center teacher in organizing book shelfs, preparing for student classes and checking in books.
I also learned about the Diaper Bank of North Carolina through Activate Good, which holds diaper-wrapping sessions at their location. Kids were missing school because their families couldn’t afford period products. And diapers aren’t covered by Medicaid, so families end up reusing the same diaper over and over again.

So, I just felt that they had a good service that they were providing to people who lack access.

Is there a volunteer project that is most memorable to you?

I really thought that the painting of the mural in the media center of a Title I school was cool. The principal at a Title I school told us she was struggling to get kids excited about reading. The mural we painted showed bear cubs — the school’s mascot — reading books in a jungle setting. It really improved the appearance of their media center and thinking that it could inspire kids to read was fulfilling to me.

You’re also on the board of Activate Good and chair its engagement committee. What are you working on there?

My goal is to expand Activate Good’s reach. We currently serve five cities in the greater Triangle area, and I want to grow that footprint and bring in more volunteers and sponsors. I’ve joined the Cary Chamber of Commerce and sponsored a booth at their annual business expo. I’ve also joined the Rotary Club in Apex and organized festival appearances for Activate Good so we can get in front of the general public and tell people about the volunteer opportunities we offer.

With so many commitments, what keeps you going?

Honestly, it becomes obvious pretty quickly that I can’t do it alone. I can do a little piece, but there’s a much greater need than any one person can handle. The nonprofits I work with can take on a much bigger piece of the problem. And even then, they’ll tell you: we need more volunteers, we need more funding, there’s still a backlog.

What do you hope people take away from your story?

Volunteering gives you the opportunity to broaden your focus. Most of us move through life within our work, our family, our neighborhood. That’s important and good. But volunteering also gives you a window into the wider community — you start to see where the needs really are, and you realize you might have something to offer. I hope people who haven’t considered it before might give it a try.

Do you want to make a difference in your community like John? Find local volunteer opportunities.