Steve & Ingrid Briody – Seasoned Volunteers
When Lakeview Village residents Steve & Ingrid Briody retired they knew they wanted to volunteer in their spare time but they weren’t real sure where they would do it. Then Ingrid came up with an idea to usher at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts in downtown Kansas City, Missouri.
“Ingrid signed me up because she thought I needed culture,” Steve laughs. “She said ‘you don’t know what you’re missing.’”
“Oh yeah, he did need a little culture,” added Ingrid.
Part of the reason Ingrid says she likes to volunteer at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts is because they typically get to watch the shows for which they are ushering. After giving more than a thousand hours of volunteer time over a decade they’ve seen everything from concerts and musicals to ballets and operas. According to Ingrid Steve wasn’t so keen on ballets and operas.
“I would usually sit in the lobby,” said Steve. “Then, I was watching the rehearsal before the performance and really admired the athleticism. It’s amazing what they can do with their bodies.”
“He didn’t pay much attention to the operas either until the Steve Jobs opera came to Kauffman,” said Ingrid, referring to The (R )evolution of Steve Jobs. “I found that one to be very interesting too.”
Part of the enjoyment for the Briody’s is getting to know the other ushers, their backgrounds and interests. In fact, the Briody’s had so much fun ushering at Kauffman they decided to reach out to another venue.
“We went over to Johnson County Community College and said ‘hey, we’ve been volunteering over here at the Kauffman for a few years we would like to volunteer at JOCO, too,” explained Ingrid. “And they said, ‘Oh yeah! Come on over. We could use your help!”
In the next few months, they will each reach 1,500 volunteer hours between the two entertainment venues.
Ingrid and Steve turn in their ushering hours to Lakeview Village along with the hours they volunteer there. It helps Lakeview Village maintain its non-profit status which in turn helps resident enjoy deductions come tax time.
Just one of many reasons Steve and Ingrid say they love life at Lakeview Village.
