Bonnie Scott: Volunteer Behind the Scenes

Clawson resident Bonnie Scott, 59, likes to use her architectural background whenever possible and is able to do so by building connections and designing a life around doing good for others.

She has lived in Clawson almost all of her life and has lent a hand to many projects through the years, though she said she prefers to stay behind the scenes. Her volunteering started when she was raising her daughter Wendy, now 41, and has blossomed and changed gears since.

Although Scott thinks national causes and nonprofit organizations are great to be involved in, she personally likes to support local organizations and missions.

“I prefer to do behind-the-scenes things,” Scott said. “I’d rather set up and do whatever is necessary to make things run smoothly.”

By volunteering her time for the Clawson Youth Assistance, , downtown events such as the Trick-or-Treat Trail and plotting out landscaping decisions for the city, she said she is almost always willing to lend a hand.

Her architectural training is especially relevant to her work as a volunteer design committee member for the . Sketching is a big part of what she brings to the table by being able to plot out different things to provide a real vision for the community.

“I love Bonnie because she is such a willing volunteer to do anything and everything,” Clawson Mayor Penny Luebs said. “Even when asking a specific task, she goes above and beyond.”

Scott, who works at The Home Depot in Troy, noted that she has downsized her life but not her volunteering. The Home Depot has put her in a position to volunteer even more within the community; as an employee, she said, there are many opportunities to help others. 

In the fall she aided in The Home Depot’s project to better landscape the , a project she enjoyed because it is in the heart of her own community. “Volunteers are needed in all aspects of life, and people don’t even realize it,” she said.

While she wishes to remain behind the scenes, she would like to see more community members join her in volunteering. One of the benefits is being able to learn a new skill or a different approach to solving a problem, Scott said.

“You’re helping others, but you’re also exposed to so many new things,” she said. “I just think involvement in life is important and not just to sitting at home.”