Volunteer Puts 'Heart and Soul' Into Work

“It’s the little things that make a big difference,” said Aliso Viejo resident Nancy Conley.

By “little things,” Conley was referring to the signs she makes for the Aliso Viejo Community Association and City of Aliso Viejo events.

But Conley’s signs aren’t little. Her Fourth of July firecracker, a musical note that advertises the concerts in Grand Park and a carrot for the Spring Event are all more than five feet tall.

Conley started making signs for AVCA events in 1998. In 2006, she made the signs and games for Aliso Viejo's first Founder's Day.

At AVCA events, the same signs are used every year, but Conley sands them and paints the new dates. For Founder’s Day, she adds new signs, backdrops or props every year, depending on the needs of the vendors.

“I probably have over 100 signs there,” she said of Founder’s Day.

Conley said her parents inspired her creativity.

“My dad was always fixing things or was making things around the house. I love doing that same thing, so I must have inherited it from him," she said. "I do like working with wood the best.”

When she has an idea for a sign, Conley buys the wood and then does the cutting, sanding and painting in her driveway.

“I use the many tools that my husband, Bill, has bought me over the years,” she said.

Conley said she loves doing projects for both the community association and the city.

“It’s just one of the many ways I volunteer within the community,” she said.

Conley and her husband, Bill Conley, help with the set up and clean up at AVCA’s Spring Event, the concert and movie nights at Grand Park, Fourth of July, the Fall Festival and the Holiday event.

For the city, Nancy and Bill assist with set up and clean up at Founder’s Day, the Community Cup Golf Tournament, the Snow Fest, National Night Out for Safety at Target and Aliso Viejo’s Document Shredding and Identity Theft Protection Day.

At the Community Cup, they help with registration and the distribution of t-shirts and snacks. During Document Shredding Day, they unload cars and assist the public with the necessary paperwork.

“For all of the events, Bill and I are there from the beginning to the end,” Nancy said. “Whatever they need us to do, we do.”

For Nancy, the best part is “when people say ‘it’s a great event and you’re doing a great job’ and I know that I’m a part of that because my signs are there or Bill and I are there.”

“Being a part of that and being involved with the community as a whole, the city and AVCA, I feel that it’s a part of me,” she said.  “And because I’m a perfectionist, I like everything to be special.”

 About her signs, Nancy said, “I put my heart and soul into every piece.”