December 2018 - Roberta McQuade

Congratulations to our December Volunteer of the Month, Roberta McQuade. Roberta has been volunteering with Atlanta Track Club for over 25 years. She, along with her husband, have been inviting family and friends to volunteer at the water stop in Piedmont Park at the Invesco QQQ Thanksgiving Half Marathon for many years. In addition to this event, each summer Roberta instructs children how to high jump at the All Comers Track & Field Meets. She recommends that new volunteers enjoy the time, smile and make new friends.

Do you remember your first time volunteering with Atlanta Track Club?

My very first time volunteering with Atlanta Track Club was either the Thanksgiving Day Marathon or the Atlanta Ekiden Team Relay. It was a great way to introduce our young children to giving back to the community.

What is your favorite Atlanta Track Club event? Why? Volunteer of the Month

My favorite event is the All Comers Track & Field Meets. I love watching the participants, especially school aged children, try the high jump each week. I see them progress throughout the season to new heights. I try and give instructions to new comers with recommendations on how to high jump, proper technique, and the rules of the event.

What is one of your best memories from volunteering at any race?

My best memory from any race has to come from the start of the AJC Peachtree Road Race. I enjoy observing the elite athletes warm up and then chill as they prepare for Peachtree. I always wonder just what is going through their minds.

What is your favorite thing about volunteering with Atlanta Track Club? What brings you back?

I strongly believe in giving back to the running community. Volunteers are so necessary for any running event to be successful.

Do you have a favorite volunteer assignment?

My favorite volunteer assignment is being the crew chief for the Invesco QQQ Thankgiving Day Half Marathon at a hydration station. At that race, 95% of the volunteers have been with us many, many years. It is also a family volunteer event for us. I love when Jim and Mark Kendall, the gentlemen who deliver the supplies for the station, pull up at the end with their truck. We celebrate with hugs all around for anther sucessful event. We've handed out water and powerade to 10,000 runners and cheered them all along to their goals.

Do you have any advice or words of wisdom for any new Atlanta Track Club volunteers?

Enjoy the time, smile, and make new friends.

What organizations do you volunteer with beyond Atlanta Track Club?

Once a month I volunteer with Central Night Shelter, a volunteer-governed shelter that provides a hot meal, a safe place to spend the night, medical and footcare to Atlanta's homeless through the winter.

I volunteer daily at Labrador Friends of the South. I answer all emails, coordinate and participate in private adoptions, and assist with forstering.

What do you do for a living?

I am a retired special education teacher of 30 years.

Tell us something interesting about yourself.

I have completed a marathon in all 50 states as well as one in Japan, Europe and New Zealand.

Volunteer of the Month Update

Volunteer of the Month

Mizuno strives to be Atlanta's essential and reliable running brand, and in 2018 they're making a commitment to YOU, the essential and reliable volunteers who make our 30+ events and programs possible. Beginning in January, they'll provide the Volunteer of the Month with seasonal apparel and discounted footwear to make all those hours spent on your feet more comfortable. We can't wait for next year!

Previous Volunteers of the Month

"Volunteer of the Month" began in March of 2015 with the launch of our new website as a way to honor and recognize our amazing Atlanta Track Club volunteers who go above and beyond the call of duty. Congratulations to our Volunteers of the Month and thank you for all that you do!

November 2018 - Susan Jones

October 2018 - Sylvia Chambless

September 2018 - Cartersville High School Wrestling Team

August 2018 - Cindy Patton

July 2018 - Dan and Mary Reed

June 2018 - James Bryant

May 2018 - Tomica Holmes

April 2018 - Linda Bode Phinney

March 2018 - Jess and Walter Kolis

?February 2018 - Marylyn Sabol

January 2018 - Jennifer Grunbaum

December 2017 - Carol Dell