For local young professional
Michael Bronson of
Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease LLP, volunteering is an integral aspect of life that an already full schedule cannot get in the way of.
“I made a concerted effort a few years ago to become more involved in community activities, because up until that time, I really had a pretty singular focus for a long period of time on my career and my family,” Bronson says. “I don’t believe there’s anything wrong with that, but at the same time, I felt a little bit of self-consciousness or guilt that I had been pretty fortunate in my life and hadn’t spent much time for people who hadn’t.”
As a full-time professional, husband and father, Bronson has had to make time for giving back.
Volunteer firefighting, youth sports coaching and serving with programs like
TriState Habitat for Humanity,
ProKids Young Professionals and
Friends of the Little Miami State Park are five of Bronson’s regular endeavors; but even on the job, he’s hard at work on both professional practice and community giving.
“Since moving back to Cincinnati, I’ve always been a believer in the
United Way and have been a contributor, but I was originally asked to lead the campaign without knowing much about what that entails. I was a little apprehensive at that time about whether it would be something that I’d be good at or whether it would be something I could find the time to do adequately,” Bronson says. “And as it turned out, and I’ve been doing it for several years now—the experience has been a lot more fun and gratifying than I expected.”
Through the Cincinnati Pledge Drive and Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease’s partnership with the United Way, Bronson says he’s constantly finding new opportunities to engage people by making it worth their while to “create opportunities where they might not otherwise see them.”
Bronson grew up in Cincinnati, and he says he’s seen it improve greatly throughout the years. So for him, the work he does in the community is simply a way of contributing so that other individuals who choose to live and raise their children here in the future have the same opportunities he’s had.
“This community has a lot of things going for it now, but a lot of untapped potential as well,” Bronson says. “We need to continue to develop education and develop opportunities for people and kind of foster the sort of economic growth and development that can only lead to new and exciting ventures here in Cincinnati—and continue to attract great people and businesses to the area.”
Do Good:
• Volunteer for a cause you are passionate about.
• Make volunteering an activity the family can do together.
• Support Bronson in his volunteer work with
Terrace Park Volunteer Emergency Services,
Habitat for Humanity,
ProKids, the
United Way of Greater Cincinnati and
Friends of the Little Miami State Park.
By Brittany York
Brittany York is a professor of English composition at both the University of Cincinnati and Xavier University. She also edits the For Good section of SoapboxMedia.