“You’re mentoring the City’s next leaders; that’s more impactful than just attending an event, and the time spent in communities is priceless.”
– Larissa Milmore, BGCB’s 2024 Corporate Volunteer of the Year, KPMG
In honor of Volunteer Appreciation Month, we are recognizing our volunteers of the year for their service throughout 2023.
Boys & Girls Clubs of Boston is incredibly excited to announce that Larissa Milmore of KPMG US has been named 2024 Corporate Volunteer of the Year. Larissa’s story started at a BGCB corporate event and has blossomed into an incredible partnership that embodies the spirit of BGCB and the impact it hopes to create alongside corporate partners throughout the community.
Tech Tuesdays, a weekly collaboration between KPMG US and two of BGCB’s sites, Yawkey Club of Roxbury and Edgerley Family South Boston Club, that provides Club members with interactive workshops to enhance their computer literacy with various technologies and helps develop their confidence with public speaking and presentation skills. The program runs in 8-week sessions, with the next session starting this summer.
Learn more about Larissa, KPMG US, and their powerful partnership with Boys & Girls Clubs of Boston in the below interview.
Get to know Larissa (Lutz) Milmore of KPMG US, BGCB's 2024 Corporate Volunteer of the Year:
Larissa Milmore, KPMG US, BGCB’s 2024 Corporate Volunteer of the Year
How did you first get involved as a volunteer at Boys & Girls Clubs of Boston?
In January of 2023, John Capone, Managing Partner of KPMG’s Boston Hub, invited me to BGCB’s 130th Annual Dinner event. I wasn’t familiar with BGCB before the event, but that was such an impactful experience; hearing from Club members about their time at the Club and how Club staff supported them to achieve their personal and professional goals. It truly did touch my heart. After the event, I told John, “If there are other opportunities to get involved, I am his lady for the job!” From there, we began to develop the Tech Tuesdays program. Tech Tuesdays is a program where we reinforce beginner Microsoft Suite skills to members and connect it to real life skills such as budgeting, marketing, public speaking. Currently it runs at Yawkey Club of Roxbury and the Edgerley Family South Boston Club.
What do you hope to achieve through your time and effort as a volunteer at the Club?
I hope to be a resource and a part of Club members’ support system who can help strengthen their self-esteem. I truly want them to know and feel that they are important, that they matter, and that there will always be someone to support them if they need it. Sometimes that person is not readily available, and it’s important for young children to have consistent adults that they know care about them and want the best for them.
What does a typical day of volunteering look like for you?
For Tech Tuesdays, there’s a lot of thought that goes into each session before connecting with members. Our team meets and discusses everything, from what could have gone better the previous week to deciding who’s doing what section this week to how we can tailor the lesson to members’ interests. They come to us after a full day of school during the winter session and it should be a fun collaborative environment where they are learning. At the Club, we spend about an hour and a half with the members doing that week’s lesson, then the team debriefs, and the process starts again.
KPMG US at Edgerley Family South Boston Club for Tech Tuesday
What has kept you coming back as a volunteer?
Everyone that works at the Club and the Club members. It’s just been such a great experience! I’ve become close to the Club staff; it feels like I’m a part of the team. It’s small things like the people at the front desk that greet you and make sure you know where you’re going and then eventually, they know who you are and why you’re there. I find myself thinking a lot about the Club members during the week; how their classes are going and what activities we’ll do the next time I see them. I really look forward to every single Tuesday.
What would you recommend about Boys & Girls Clubs of Boston to other organizations out there who are looking for organizations to support and get involved with?
In Boston, we are a small community, and we are at such an advantage where we have so many corporate brands locally. Many people are looking for additional meaning in their careers and want to be more involved with colleagues and make an impact on their community. There are so many different volunteer options out there, but BGCB is uniquely connected with the community, which makes time spent volunteering feel deeply meaningful. You’re mentoring the City’s next leaders; that’s more impactful than just attending an event, and the time spent in our communities is priceless. Being a part of BGCB has made me feel closer to KPMG, not only can you serve the communities that you live in but it’s a great way to build relationships and sense of belonging within your own firm. To strengthen existing relationships and find likeminded colleagues. I would not have known this was even a possibility for me if it wasn’t for KPMG and their caring attitude toward their community.
What has been your top highlight from the past year as a volunteer?
Too many to just choose one! I need to share a couple:
At this year’s Annual Dinner, I felt a tap on my shoulder, and I turn around to Andrew R., the Roxbury Club’s 2023 Jr. Youth of the Year. He was excited to see me and shared that he was speaking on the main stage. The fact that he remembered me, and that he was so happy to see me, it felt like our time together mattered. He, obviously, has a lot of mentors around him, but if our time together had a hand in preparing him to be on that stage, that meant the world to me.
When we were wrapping up at the Edgerley Club, during our last session we wanted to have a dinner together and reflect on the program (the greatest takeaway, what could be done better, etc.). Many of the club members said they enjoyed getting to know our KPMG volunteers, learning more about their fellow club members, and felt they had gotten better at public speaking and sharing their ideas during the Tech Tuesdays program. That’s important because they are 11 and 12 years old, and if they can say they’ve gotten better at speaking in front of business leaders, they are already ahead of the curve. That’s a transferable skill. It’s important work to support our members and build their confidence to speak their minds and be themselves, to be the best version of themselves.
