Volunteer Spotlight: Joel Aguilera
Main Street is thankful for our volunteers.
Joel Aguilera is a shining example of what every nonprofit looks for in a volunteer. Joel joined Main Street Murfreesboro's Board of Directors as a City staff representative from the Planning Department. Fresh out of college, Joel was eager to share his experiences from Ball State University and learn from the other board volunteers to sharpen his ability to serve our community through the Planning Department.
Moving to Murfreesboro from Fort Wayne, Indiana, Joel knew what community could look like for himself and he sought that out, getting involved and participating in local events.
Joel was a connector for Main Street Murfreesboro, meeting new business owners around the square and representing our nonprofit as he talked with entrepreneurs and city leaders.
Joel was on the board one year when he became the Chair of the Economic Vitality Committee and served on the Design Committee. He helped implement a new Downtown Improvement grant for businesses to receive funding for upgrades on their facades. He also spearheaded a project between the city, Chamber of Commerce, and Small Business Development Center to create a one-page information flyer on how to start a business downtown. He worked with others to make the process easier for entrepreneurs to find the sources they needed to start a business downtown.
Joel served his term on the Main Street Board of Directors and moved onto other adventures.
We are thankful for his joyful attitude and helpful spirit. If you see Joel out at an event downtown introduce yourself and tell him "Thank You!"
What do you enjoy about volunteering with Main Street Murfreesboro ?
- What I enjoyed the most about volunteering with Main Street Murfreesboro was that it allowed me to connect and work alongside other passionate business owners and professionals, listen to their stories, collaborate with others to attract new visitors to the downtown, help spread awareness of the businesses in our downtown, and also help Main Street’s overall mission of elevating the vibrancy of our historic downtown.
What advice would you give to someone looking to get involved with their community?
- One piece of advice I would give to someone looking to get involved in the community is to attend local events. This is the first and easiest way to start exploring and learning more about your community to see how you can get involved. By attending local events, whether it be farmer's markets, craft fairs, local theater showings, church fundraisers, or local art festivals, you can learn a little more about the community and the people and groups that host those events. You may find aligning interests between yourself, the group, and their overall mission. By attending those local events, you will not only be supporting that group, its community, and its members, but you may want to attend more events, get more involved, and even start volunteering to help positively impact your local community.
How did you benefit from your time volunteering with Main Street Murfreesboro?
- Volunteering with Main Street Murfreesboro greatly benefitted me in that I was able to make meaningful friendships, expand my professional network, and directly support the local businesses and groups that were passionate about our historic downtown. I collaborated with a number of smart and experienced professionals and business owners on different topics and how we could build on our success.
What are you most proud of from your time on the Main Street board and helping your community through your volunteer work with this organization?
- What I am most proud of from my time on the Main Street Board is working alongside our board members and our Main Street team and seeing the increased awareness and attendance of specific events, like the Saturday Market, Friday Night Live, and Celebrate Christmas Downtown. As the Murfreesboro community has grown and continues to be an attractive suburb, the board and Main Street successfully grew the awareness of downtown and the events on Main Street. It was great to see and hear about first-time visitors, families, and couples coming to the square, visiting the Saturday market, purchasing foods and other goods, supporting our local vendors of the community, and exploring other parts of the historic downtown.
