Meet Diane Pirkl, MVCC Project Support Coordinator

I have been a resident of North Glendale all of my life, except for the four years I attended college in San Diego. In my formative years at CVHS, I formed a friendship with someone with whom I would not only attend the same college but would continue a friendship that lasted these last four decades and would eventually lead to this job and this article.

It was through that friendship with Victoria Malone that I volunteered last year at a few events for the Montrose-Verdugo City Chamber of Commerce. I enjoyed the opportunities to connect with the attendees and community members. Volunteering also gave me an opportunity to share some of my talents and strengths that were a contribution to the overall positive outcome of the events.

And, as life would have it, this year the opportunity presented itself to work for the MVCC with the added bonus of working with one of my dearest and longtime friends … a friendship I mentioned started in those formative years.

I have great childhood memories of Montrose and, because of that foundation, I have a desire to see the community continue to thrive. I am excited to know that I have the opportunity to contribute to the efforts the MVCC is making.

I love to travel, but when I am home I am always happy to be home in my quaint town. Montrose possesses that familiarity of a home base with just enough change and forward movement to allow it to continue to progress and thrive. I appreciate being behind the scenes, but I also appreciate and enjoy the interaction with the public as we build and create new relationships. There is a lot of fulfillment working on the events and to be able to see the final outcomes. When I am working at these events, I enjoy hearing attendees express their positive experiences and I enjoy that through the chamber event efforts we are also introducing new people to the Montrose area, its businesses and what our town has to offer.

My best experience to date working for the chamber was at April’s Montrose Craft Beer Fest. While I was at the ticket purchase station, there were two younger women (younger than I, in their late 20s to early 30s). The two women pulled me aside and told me they wanted to pay for the couple behind them and they wanted to do so anonymously. They had been talking while waiting in line and the younger women discovered the gentleman was a veteran. It was such a touching moment for me to experience. Witnessing youth having respect for elders and for those who have served. I pulled the veteran and his wife aside to let them know someone paid for their entry to the event as a “thank you” for his service to our country and a way of giving back to him. He was shocked and in disbelief.

The memory of this exchange still brings tears of joy to my eyes. It was so incredibly moving and a privilege to witness this act of kindness. I am proud to be a part of an organization where its events brings people together from all walks of life. Montrose is that place where strangers will talk to each other and possibly create new friendships.

As you walk through the streets of Montrose, and you see a stranger wearing a silver name badge and she is smiling at you, there is a good change that is me: Diane Pirkl. And I hope that exchange brightens your day.

  Diane Pirkl