DELAND — Bill Budzinski emerges from the kitchen on an increasingly busy late Friday afternoon at The Elusive Grape, the wine bar and restaurant he's owned for 18 years.
He wears a dark blue apron, a hallmark of members of the Rotary Club of Downtown DeLand. Three words stand out on this otherwise ordinary garment — Service Above Self.
"It's harder to do things for people when times are tough, but it's more important to do it when times are tough," said Budzinski, whose business closed for 10 days in March as the first COVID-19 wave rolled through Central Florida.
That time is when Budzinski sprung into service action. As families in the community struggled to find meat at the grocery stores, he bought 2,500 pounds of chicken leg quarters — donating 80% of it to The Neighborhood Center of West Volusia, and the rest to local bartenders and wait staff to feed their families.
And it was only the beginning. Since the start of the pandemic, Budzinski has provided the Neighborhood Center with 17,300 pounds of meat, in addition to preparing 14,500 meals for those in need at the Spring Hill Resource Center.
Thus, Budzinski was selected as the City of DeLand's Volunteer of the Year. He and attorney Brittany Gloersen, the city's Volunteer of the Year Under 40, were recognized at a recent city commission meeting and will have their names added to the walk of fame in Downtown DeLand.
Budzinski learned of the honor at the end of October, receiving notice from Kieu Moses, the city's special events coordinator. At first, he thought it was a joke.
"It's a great honor, it's a great town. I'm glad to be a part of it," said Budzinski, a staple of the Downtown DeLand business scene since 1993. "I didn't realize they had anything like this, so it's really nice. We're obviously not in it for the accolades; we're here just to help people."
Budzinski estimates he's spent $8,000 out of pocket toward volunteer endeavors this year. He also committed to keeping his six full-time restaurant staff members fully employed during the forced closure.
Past volunteer work for Budzinski includes fundraisers for breast cancer and childhood cancer awareness, as well as collecting money for families to pay their water bills.
He serves on various city boards including a current stint on the Downtown Community Redevelopment Agency Board.
Gloersen, an attorney for Landis, Graham, French P.A., co-organized the Haunted Hollow in October 2019. The haunted house experience, which was postponed this year due to the pandemic, raised more than $30,000 and split across several community organizations.
Currently serving as the president of the Rotary Club of DeLand, Gloersen implemented a swim safety program, and provided both donations and meals to low-income seniors.
The Link LonkNovember 09, 2020 at 05:05PM
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Elusive Grape owner Bill Budzinski named DeLand Volunteer of the Year - Daytona Beach News-Journal
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