Tom Olver leads community outreach
Central Michigan University alumnus Tom Olver is responsible for starting a chain reaction in the community
As the president and CEO of United Way of Isabella County, Olver connects resources and volunteers to non-profit organizations. Affiliate organizations like Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Great Lakes Bay Region, and 30 others, recieve donations and advertising through United Way.
“He does a wonderful job referring people who are interested in volunteering,” said Jenny Oswald, enrollment and match support specialist for Big Brothers Big Sisters .
Last year, Big Brothers Big Sisters received $15,000 according to United Way. Oswald said the funds benefit students in the two school-based mentoring programs in the county.
Olver’s community-oriented ideas and efforts to raise awareness and fundraise ultimately turns into helping fund these types of organizations in the county who work to reach others in need and build up the community. Oswald said Olver goes above and beyond his job requirements.
“The minute I met Tom, I knew he was the perfect fit for United Way and the community,” Oswald said.
His sister, Ranae Rettelle, said he puts other people’s needs over his own and has always been that way growing up.
“He’s very loyal and very giving,” Rettelle said. “He’s so thoughtful and conscientious of other people’s needs. He’s always been involved in the community.”
Olver said he works about 12 hours a day to engage with the community. This sometimes requires a lot of wardrobe changes.
“No day is the same,” Olver said. “It’s one thing I love about the job.”
He enjoys running, hiking and enjoying the outdoors whenever he can. The outdoors and nature is a way for him to decompress and relax, though the opportunity does not come often.
“Most of my friends and colleagues would say that I am not very good at relaxing,” Olver said.
Tina Gaillard, United Way of Isabella County director of finance and administration, said it is not that he cannot relax, but rather he is very dedicated to the organization he serves.
“He is very passionate about the work that he is doing,” Gaillard said. “He is very focused on building United Way and building relationships.”
Gaillard said they communicate through email and texts often because Olver’s efforts are more focused outside the office with building relationships, campaigning and going to meetings.
His religious background gives him even more reason to give back to the community.
“Faith is big to me,” he said. “It leads me to give back to my community each and every day.”
Olver graduated from CMU in December 1998 with a Bachelor of Science degree in political science and public administration with a minor in business administration.
The youngest of eight with two brothers and five sisters, Olver was the first in his family to attend college. Olver said his parents did not understand the whole college experience and what he was going through, but were very supportive. He joined the fraternity of Beta Theta Pi at CMU. Olver loved the fraternity because very few friends came to CMU with him.
“I was looking for ways to engage in the campus culture and get to know people,” he said. “My fraternity experience gave me a lot of those opportunities to connect with people and build relationships.”
After graduation, he went on to work as director of risk management and director of operations for three years at the administrative office for his fraternity in Oxford, Ohio. He also served for eight years as the editor and director of communications at the alumni magazine.
When he saw an advertisement for a position at the United Way of Isabella County, he pursued the opportunity because he said it felt like coming home.
In two years, Beta Theta Pi brother Scott Nadeau said he saw Olver become a celebrity of Mount Pleasant.
"He's always shaking hands and saying hi," Nadeau said. "We can't have a meeting in a public place because he knows so many people and we would be interrupted a lot."
He first encountered United Way as a Boy Scout to pose in a brochure. He was aware of the organization’s existence and that it supported other local non-profits including Boy Scouts. As the face of the organization, Olver has better understanding of the organization.
“I understand how (they) operate,” Olver said. “These organizations are trying their best to deliver programs and services that improve people’s lives."
