05 Mar Meet Dan Hofer: From volunteer to Board member

It’s been a fast track for Dan Hofer at Bienestar. Dan, an IT architect at Nike, began

Dan Hofer at ESL class

volunteering just last November. By January, Dan was on the Bienestar Board of Directors. Welcome, Dan!

Dan’s first volunteer role was helping with the English as a Second Language (ESL) class at Sunset Gardens in Hillsboro. He was also our jolly “Santa Claus” at several of our 2016 Christmas parties.

In addition to volunteering, Dan helps us get some much-needed donations. At the ESL class, he noticed the white board’s surface was old and virtually unusable. So, he worked with Nike to get 11 new white boards for our community rooms. The boards have both a white surface and a bulletin board side—ideal for writing lessons and messages on one side, and a place to post items on the other side. And, they are mobile so they can be wheeled around for events and activities.

Dan spreads the word at Nike about the needs of Bienestar’s families, too. Recently, Dan asked Nike employees if they could donate furniture and household goods for a family that had next to nothing in their apartment.

Using his own time and renting a van for the task, Dan collected and delivered the furniture, which included a sofa, two beds, a coffee table, a chair and a desk. The family also received a child car seat and gift cards for Best Buy and Fred Meyer.

What motivates Dan to donate his time, energy and expertise at Bienestar? He said, “I wanted to get involved in doing something beneficial for immigrant families, something to counter the current climate. I’d also like to learn some Spanish, of course, but the most important motivation is to give something back to the community.”