Longtime Batavia volunteer honored with William D. Barth Award
If grief is a motivator for good, Melinda Kintz of Batavia is Exhibit A regarding how that works.
After all, it was a heavy heart that led Kintz to an exemplary decade of volunteer work.
When she and her husband Michael lost their 14-year-old son Alex to bone cancer in 2009, Kintz dealt with it by engaging as a volunteer for organizations that sought to ease the pain of those suffering from the illness.
That led to years of volunteer work for countless organizations, culminating in her most recent major effort to bring the 2-1-1 resource hotline to Kane County.
TriCity Family Services honored Kintz for her service Thursday, Oct. 25, with its 34th William D. Barth Award, given annually to a community volunteer who has made a significant impact.
"After my son passed away, I decided I wanted to be a wish granter for Make-A-Wish because that was a great experience for my son," Kintz said. "And we also did Relay For Life teams for several years for the American Cancer Society."
Directors at the LivingWell Cancer Resource Center asked Kintz if she could help with some of their projects - and she ended up volunteering for years at the center.
At that point, she determined maybe she needed "a break from cancer," so she worked to help open the Fox Valley Habitat for Humanity Restore.
When Batavia United Way posted an opening for a part-time executive director a few years ago, Kintz interviewed for it and was hired. That sent her in a new direction, one that also landed her with friend Joanne Spitz in co-founding and operating Batavia CHIP IN (Community Helpers Impacting People in Need) for homeless or struggling Batavia students and their families.
Spitz, a former Barth Award winner herself, nominated Kintz for this year's honor, saying, "Melinda is so deserving of this award. She does not take no for an answer and finds creative ways to implement projects. She displays leadership every single time."
Kintz also follows in the footsteps of her father-in-law, James Kintz, who received the Barth Award in 2010.
Starting next month, Kintz will see the 211 community resource line in operation after working for months with schools, local governments and numerous agencies to establish the 24/7 service that offers access to various organizations providing assistance for any type of individual or family problem. A person dialing 211 could get help in accessing food, housing and emergency assistance, or veterans' services, immigration services, and other types of help.
The 211 service has funding that will carry it through a three-year pilot program.
"This is not a path I have walked alone," Kintz said in receiving the Barth Award. "I have had many people help me along the way."
To make that point, she asked those in attendance at the event at Riverside Banquets facility in Geneva to stand if they had any involvement in her many projects.
People at about half of the tables stood as a testament to Kintz and her ability to lead charitable efforts.