I recently found out that a long time volunteer producer had passed away.  I found out when his daughter returned some equipment that we had loaned to him for an extended length of time.  His name was Everett LaBuda.

Everett came to CTV in 2006 and produced many mini-documentaries for us about St. Paul’s east side and was working on a video about the makeover of the state capital.  Everett was quite a character that had a love of video production and telling a story.  His daughter told me that he always talked about CTV and how we were family to him.

Everett’s passing reminded me that the value of volunteering, for whatever the cause, is as important for your inner peace as going to church or any other activity connected to your day to day existence.

Think about your cause, how do you feel after volunteering at CTV?  I suppose there are days where it seems it could have gone better but for the most part, you were always engaged with the production, the crew and the content of the program.  The good productions were great to be a part of and the not so good productions were still good to be a part of with your friends!  In other words, it mattered.

CTV is going through a mission change that I feel will benefit the quality of your volunteer experience.  CTV staff and volunteers alike will be able to work together to produce Community Focused content that matters to our viewers no matter the format. Relevant programming matters when it educates and engages.  Working together will only make our communities stronger.

Thank you, Everett for your work, passion, and desire to educate us on programs and organizations that mattered to all of us.

Tim Domke