BEING OF SERVICE IS THIS FORMER MARINE’S WAY OF LIFE

Meet Daily Point of Light Award honoree Ben Peterson. Read his story, and nominate an outstanding volunteer or family as a Daily Point of Light.

Ben Peterson may no longer be an active service member, but he’s still dedicated to serving others.

A former marine, Ben is currently the communications chair for RTXVETS, Raytheon’s employee resource group that serves as a forum for the armed services community. Inside and outside the Raytheon community, Ben is widely known for his dedication to public service, particularly as an advocate for veterans and veteran-related causes. Whether he’s organizing unique gatherings like 2023’s 2nd Annual Wargaming and Simulation Event or helming RTX’s Memorial Day and Veterans Day ceremonies, Ben has recruited hundreds of people to dedicate time to bettering the lives of veterans.

Ben has already dedicated countless hours to helping others, and he’s got no intention of slowing down. He regularly clocks about five hours of volunteering each week and is eager to create even more change as the years go on. With so much need for volunteers out there, he hopes to strengthen the relationship between volunteers and the companies that seek to connect with them. As he breaks that divide and brings people together, Ben is an inspiration to anyone who hopes to make the world a little bit better than how they found it.

What inspires you to volunteer?

I don’t even know how to begin to answer that. I feel fulfilled in ways I wouldn’t if I were just trying to enrich myself. The selfless act of volunteering is selfish for me because, for one reason or another, it makes me feel good to know that I am helping to ameliorate whatever the condition happens to be. This is just my instinct. It’s how I was programmed and how I was raised.

Tell us about your volunteer role with RTXVETS.

I’m currently the communications chair for RTXVETS. My role is primarily raising money for these organizations. I did Tough Ruck two years ago, and we raised $40,000 for veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. I am volunteering every other Friday at Ironstone Farm, an equine therapy organization, under the direction of Brendan Hamm, a prior service Marine. They provide all of these services for vets to try to help them with their PTSD. I’m volunteering heavily there.

What inspired you to get started with this initiative?

I have a pretty extensive volunteer history. I’ve been volunteering with organizations my entire life. My mother recruited me at a very early age to work for AFCEA International, the Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association. I did that all through elementary, middle and high school. I went away to college, ended up serving in the military and then I got hired by Raytheon. They needed somebody to handle veteran and veteran-related outreach coordination for the company in this employee resource group called RTXVETS. Through that, all of these great volunteer opportunities began to emerge. I started doing Stairs4RTroops, Run to Home Base, the Derek Hines Flag Day 5k and many others. There are so many to mention.

What’s been the most rewarding part of your work?

The most rewarding part is knowing that someone stands to derive some benefit from the time that we share. If that means a vet who is struggling with PTSD has the opportunity through a few therapeutic sessions at Ironstone Farm to just make a marginal, slight improvement, that’s all that matters.

What have you learned through your experiences as a volunteer?

I’ve learned that there are a lot of people out there at every level of an organization just wanting to help. They just want in some way to improve the condition of people who are going through some tough stuff. There are allies everywhere. They come out of the woodwork; they’re in the eaves. And what I learned is that just getting out there and putting out a call for volunteers means they’re going to come. It’s incremental at first.

For example, we volunteered through the Collings Foundation at the American Heritage Museum in Hudson. The first time I started we had about two volunteers, and now that’s since exploded. We had more than we could manage at the last summer season of events.

Why is it important for others to get involved with causes they care about?

People underestimate what their actions are going to do. Don’t be scared. Don’t be reticent, because you don’t know. You have no idea what someone is going through. The hour that you donate of your time on and off Friday to go and help out at Ironstone Farm, you might think that is not very significant. But actually, that hour might be what is needed to ensure somebody benefits significantly. We have no clue. People have no idea of their strength.

Any advice for people who want to start volunteering?

Just do it. I would say to reach out to your communities and find out where there is a need, fulfilled or unfulfilled, and do your research. There already might be efforts underway. There are organizations out there. They’re out there, and they’re volunteering all the time. Also, I would recommend that people who are hoping to get involved look online.

What do you want people to learn from your story?

Dedicating your time in some way, shape or form to help someone else is value-added. It’s not a waste of your time to donate some of it to help someone else.

Do you want to make a difference in your community like Ben? Find local volunteer opportunities.