The Ojai Recreation Department (ORD) wishes to highlight one of its amazing volunteers, Austin Evans! If you come to the Recreation Department, you might be fortunate enough to see Evans hard at work making the community center a better place for all to enjoy!
Evans has been coming to ORD since 1992, when he was just a baby to watch his sister participate in the gymnastics program. Way back then, neither his Mom nor Austin knew he was special needs, though they were soon to learn of this special adventure awaiting. By and by Austin grew into a grade-schooler in the OUSD Special Education classroom, and returned to ORD during holiday breaks and summers, enjoying various programs and classes the Rec Department offered.
On into junior high, Evans continued Summer Camp (which was one of his favorite programs), because he was so young at heart—swimming field trips to Nordhoff were his favorite. While Mr. Cotsis was the ORD Manager, Evans was a regular in the Social Skills Class; he attended for nearly 15 years!
Many years later, Evans asked his Mom if he could volunteer at the Recreation Center vacuuming the Game Room. So, in 2023 Evans and his mom asked Miss Vicky if he could become a Volunteer Staff for a couple of hours each week. Vicky introduced Evans to her new ORD Manager, Luis, who also agreed that yes, Evans would be a welcomed addition to their Staff! With his recent endeavor, Evans has a 30-year history with the ORD!
When you come to the Ojai Recreation Department, you may see Evans hard at work and his heartwarming smile. When you do, please feel free to say hi and thank him for his hard work. It's amazing to have people like Evans who make our community a better place to live, work, and recreate and we could not be more thankful to have him on board!
As Ms. Helen Dyer once said, “Volunteerism is the voice of the people put into action. These actions shape and mold the present into a future of which we can all be proud.” We couldn’t be more proud of Austin Evans and his efforts to make our community a better place.
