Raquel Brown brings a special warmth and exuberance to her volunteer involvement with the PVP Village. Her keen intellectual curiosity and commitment to community service and volunteering are enhanced through the stimulating dialogue and sense of value that is inherent in her interactions with PVP Villagers.
Raquel’s family was part of the great migration from the South to the North described in the book, The Warmth of Other Suns. In 1942, her grandparents along with two small daughters arrived in Oakland, CA from Louisiana. By the time Raquel arrived, her family had become the “first” in every area of society and daily living and had created quite a life for their family in East Oakland. Interestingly, Vice President Kamala Harris was born in the same hospital as Raquel. Their fathers attended UC Berkeley at the same time. Raquel attended USC earning a BA with honors both in Psychology and Communications. Not stopping there, she went to UCLA earning an MBA with honors. Traveling across town to UCLA remains the subject of much-lighthearted banter. Her team is UCLA except when playing against USC or Stanford where her son is an alumnus.
After graduation, Raquel began a global leadership career in management consulting and leadership advising in the corporate, nonprofit, and education sectors. She also enjoyed success in human capital/ organizational change, sales, and teaching
Shortly after moving to PVP, Raquel signed up to attend a UCLA Alumni Dinner with 12 Strangers hosted by our Executive Director, Marianne Propst. Marianne mentioned the PVP Village, and Raquel was intrigued. During the pandemic, Raquel had newfound time, and thought she could be of service – And the rest is history.
Raquel’s first volunteer assignment was helping Pat Brown with her Christmas tree lights. She found it delightful meeting Pat and answering her questions mostly about technology. As Raquel said, “The questions were expected because in her experience, seniors are prepared.” She found that Pat with her smile and expression of gratitude reinforced the value Raquel could add as a PVP Village volunteer. And as Pat Brown said of the visit, “From one Brown to another Brown, you never know where you’ll get help! Raquel came to my rescue.” Pat felt that she had enjoyed a very special meeting.
As a volunteer, Raquel believes she “gains while giving through experiences and opportunities to fellowship with neighbors [she] would not likely know if it weren’t for being a PVP Village volunteer.” She especially enjoys the energy and zeal of the members. “Age,” she says, “is a mere number to PVP Villagers who get better with time.”
Raquel sees the PVP Village continuing to foster enriching and relational experiences while honoring the spirit of the founder, Sherry May. She envisions the PVP Village “moving from being the best-kept secret to the buzz on the hill!”
Not only is Raquel a service volunteer, but she has also helped the Board and our Executive Director with our strategic planning effort. Here are a couple of comments from the Executive Director and board members:
“I was so grateful for Raquel’s gift of time and expertise when she agreed to facilitate the Board’s work on our strategic vision. She has so much to add to any conversation and thought process. We are very fortunate to have her volunteer service and involvement with PVP Village.”
“Raquel was a wonderful facilitator at our strategy session. She managed to keep our sometimes unruly group in line and on task.”
Thank you, Raquel, for being such an important part of our Village community.