Westonite of the Week: Robin Ronai

Tell Patch about your family. I live with my husband, Douglas and our 2 children. Joshua is 9 years old and our daughter, Rebecca, is 7. My father also lives with us part time, but he will be moving in with us full time over the summer. It's nice to have the 3 generations living together. My children enjoy the time they get to spend with their grandfather and they keep him young and active.

What made you settle in Weston, and how long have you lived here?    We used to live in Norwalk. But when my son was in pre-school, I wanted to find a small community that had a great school system. We looked at a couple of towns, but fell in love with Weston. We moved here five years ago. We sold our house and moved into town one month before the start of kindergarten. It was stressful, trying to make it all work, but well worth it. Our children are very settled and they have a great group of friends. My husband and I love living in a town where it is really all about about families.

Where did you first volunteer and why did you get involved? I first volunteered in high school as a candy striper. I had to do community service as part of my requirements to get into the National Honor Society. A couple of my friends and I would spend Saturday mornings at a hosptial in Edison, N.J., where we grew up, taking patients around in wheel chairs, helping them fill out their menu orders and things like that. It was a nice feeling. When I became a mother, I started volunteering for little things at the pre-school my children attended. My kids enjoyed seeing me at the school and I was happy to help out. I realized that it was important for my children to see me helping out and that you can do things to make others happy. We live in a time where possessions are very important and I want my children to see that not everything is about money. You can get happiness from helping out other people. My husband and I want them to appreciate what they have and learn that it is just as important to give as it is fun to receive. As soon as the children are old enough, my husband and I plan to take them with us to a soup kitchen on the holidays and have them serve food to those who are less fortunate.  

What has been your most personally meaningful experience while volunteering? I volunteer because I enjoy getting involved. I no longer work and I like to give my time whenever possible. I'm glad I have the opportunity to do that and I get happiness from helping others.