Dave Marvin is on the leadership team and intake committee for Lyons Volunteers. He helps process incoming volunteer requests to the organization. Lyons Volunteers provides services for vulnerable community members by helping them with tasks they can’t complete on their own. The group also takes on larger projects for the Lyons community.

Marvin, 42, has lived in Colorado since 2005. He lives on a hobby farm in the Lyons area, which came close to burning in last year’s Stone Canyon Fire.

He owns Marvin Gardens Real Estate and Property Management in Longmont. Marvin and his wife own dogs, a three-legged cat named Oscar, two mules named Missy and Blondie, and a couple dozen chickens.How did you initially learn about Lyons Volunteers?

My wife saw a Facebook post inquiring whether anyone out there was interested in reviving this group. Considering we moved to our current home during the pandemic, we hadn’t really gotten overly involved in our new Lyons community and it seemed like a good way to get involved!

What inspired you to help revamp the Lyons Volunteers program?

I am one who likes a challenge, and it seemed that with the previous generation of Lyons volunteers who were so active after the flood moving on, some new leadership was needed. It’s truly been a team effort and we’re still putting everything in place administratively, but when it quickly became clear that some of our efforts would be focused on the recovery efforts from the Stone Canyon Fire, considering it came within 0.5 miles of our home and property, it seemed like it was my turn to step up, so I did.

What’s your favorite thing about Lyons?

I love the small-town vibe and how everyone is involved with making it a great place to live, visit and just be. The whole place feels like one big neighborhood, and I love feeling like when you walk into a shop or store or restaurant, you will likely meet the owner and/or know the person greeting you. It feels like everyone takes ownership of the town and cares for it like it’s their own, because it is!

Are there any upcoming Lyons Volunteers projects that you’re particularly excited about?

Now that people are catching on that we’re back in business, the volunteer requests of various types have been coming in! We are helping some folks with specific yard work, other exterior projects and some interior home projects that they can’t complete and more. We are also working on a larger-scale fire mitigation project, which should further help with the Stone Canyon Fire recovery efforts, and help to mitigate future fire risk in our area.

Why do you like volunteering?

Volunteering has been a part of my life since I was very young. My day-to-day job is rewarding in its own way, but volunteering has a different vibe — one that really makes you certain that you’re making a difference for the greater community. The multiplication factor increases when you can use your skills to help someone out who may not be able to do the same thing you can do. And more than that, the energy behind a big group project when over a hundred people come together with a common goal/mission that doesn’t involve money and just a heart to offer what you have and serve others with that is truly unmatched. You know you’re doing the right thing when people who are otherwise strangers just show up to help out!