Volunteer of the Month - Silas A.

Please meet our latest Volunteer of the Month, Silas A. Silas has been volunteering with Cultivate for over seven years as a dedicated SnowBuster and sometimes helps up to five clients each winter!

Silas grew up in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, Canada (Unama’ki in Mi’kmaq - pronounced meeg-maw - to the local indigenous people there) and has lived in Boulder for the last seven years. He is the father of two and has a passion for building community. So much so that he was on the ballot this past November as a Boulder City Council candidate. Though he was not elected, his platform and inspiration is to continue to help fight injustice in all forms. Silas finds that his biggest challenge is having to live in forced poverty while living in affluent Boulder. But, that doesn’t deter him from giving back to others through his civic and volunteer work. Silas says he volunteers with SnowBusters to support his neighbors by keeping their sidewalks clear so they don’t get fined by the City of Boulder. Silas feels that the Boulder area generally has chosen to focus on individuality over community, which has led to underfunded public services such as snow removal, which is why volunteering for SnowBusters matters so much to Silas.

Silas’ advice to the younger generation is to please be sure to take back your power and work to build an inclusive world that meets everyone’s needs. His grandmother was a powerful matriarch who ensured her children and grandchildren had lots of love and back tickles to fall asleep. He learned value from that and looks to ensure that his family and, whenever possible, his neighbors have what they need in their daily lives. 

Thank you, Silas, for your years of dedication to Cultivate clients in your neighborhood and the physical labor that entails! SnowBusters is one of our highest-demand programs, and your help is so very appreciated. You are such an amazing citizen and role model in our community!