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December Volunteer of the Month: Laura Megleo, PTA President, Plum Grove Junior High School
“Volunteer of the Month? That’s an excellent distinction, but it doesn’t seem like a high enough honor for this nominee. Volunteer of the Decade is a more apt title!” her nominator said of Laura Megleo, president of the Plum Grove Junior High School PTA.
As for Laura, she doesn’t think she’s done anything special. “Parents just do that,” she says gently. Laura has been volunteering for 18 years, since her oldest daughter Kelly was three years old and in preschool. “I just haven’t stopped,” she laughs. She’s had plenty of opportunity to volunteer at schools. Laura and her husband Bruce have six children: Kelly, now a teacher at Carl Sandburg Junior High; Michael, 21, who’s a student at the University of Iowa; Lindsey, 19, who works and lives at home; Jessie, a junior at Fremd High School; Danny, a freshman at Fremd; and Lucas, a seventh grader at Plum Grove Junior High.
Laura spent 18 years as a parent volunteer and active PTA member at Pleasant Hill. She was PTA president twice, first vice president for programs, hospitality chair, and chaired the book fair, Market Day, teacher appreciation, and dance committees. She also helped as a room mom and volunteered in various classrooms for centers, computers, and reading. This year, shortly after her youngest child started at Plum Grove, she was elected president of the PGJH PTA.
“Her can-do attitude and willingness to cheerfully pitch in wherever and whenever there’s a need,” were commended by her nominator. “For any parent of a new kindergartner to asks, ‘How do you build a strong bond between home and school?’ I would say do what Laura Megleo has done over the past 18 years—support your kids, support their school, and be there with a kind word and a giving heart whenever there’s a chance to volunteer.”
For Laura, the rewards of volunteering are many. “The best part is just seeing your children light up when they see their mom at school,” she said. “It’s nice to be a part of their school career.” She also thinks volunteering is “a great way to meet everybody!”
Originally from Glenview, Laura and her husband moved to Palatine 24 years ago. She attended Glenview schools and started college at Western Illinois to study special education, but decided instead to fulfill her lifelong ambition of getting married and having kids. She works part-time as a receptionist at a Palatine dance studio where some of her children were in the dance company. She’s also been a “soccer mom” and a “wrestling mom.” Laura and Bruce and their family enjoy camping and have taken many camping vacations. Both are Chicago Bears football fans and love attending games. Laura also likes to sew, especially Halloween costumes, and when she had time, she enjoyed doing stained glass. She’s also—guess what?—a volunteer at her church and a member of Fremd Boosters.
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