Madison Whiz Kid: Greg Dowler

Name: Greg Dowler

School: Greg is a senior at Daniel Hand High School in Madison

Accomplishment: Helping to organize a coat drive over the holidays that will make a big difference in the lives of 528 people who will receive those coats during this cold, cold winter. Dowler is also a Madison Hose Co. # 1 Junior Firefighter and an honor roll student.

Why Greg is awesome: Not only does he contribute to the community through his volunteer work, this is a kid with varied interests and a plan for the future that is aligned with his specific skills and interests. A lot of kids just go with the flow and do what everyone else is doing. Not so with Greg. He's clearly given a lot of thought to how he can contribute, what will make him happy, and what he wants to do in the future. We wish him all the best and look forward to hearing more about his future projects.

Find out more about Greg by reading the Q & A below.

Q: Tell us a little about yourself

A: Currently I am a senior at Daniel Hand High School. I will graduate in the class of 2011. My favorite classes involve math. Math is my favorite because of Mrs. Bagnolie. I had her for Pre-calculus and Algebra II. They were the best classes of my high school career. She really has made a positive impact on my life and I will never forget her.

Q: What's next for you?

A: Throughout high school, I have had outstanding grades. Most people assume someone who is successful like that will go to a four year college. However, that is not what I want to do with my life. When I become older, I want a career that I enjoy going to each day, rather than a job where I am not happy. Throughout my life I have always wanted to be an electrician. I greatly enjoy working with electricity and being hands on. This is why I plan on going to Porter and Chester in Branford to pursue my career choice and be an electrician.

Q: What do you do for fun?

A: Some of my other hobbies include having extremely epic nerf gun wars, experimenting with cooking, working with horses, fighting fire (obviously), and hanging out with friends.

Q: How did you get the idea for a coat drive?

A: The main reason why I did a coat drive was because our local police department was already doing a food and toy drive. So in the winter season, what is the next thing that many people do not have and really need? Coats! I have seen Good Morning America do their coat drive in previous years, so I guess that is where I truly got the idea. Coats keep me warm in the winter and I do not like the cold at all.

Q: What kind of coats do you like?

A: My favorite coat brand would defiantly be Carhart. They are very warm and comfortable, especially in the winter when you are working with horses and cutting firewood. My favorite coat that was collected was a college Husky football players over coat. It is very large and will definitely keep someone warm this winter. There were also many people who donated coats from family members who have passed away. I know how hard it must have been to part with them but many people thought they would benefit someone, rather than just sitting in the attic. 

Q: Did you meet any new people while doing the coat drive?

A: There were many families that stopped by the firehouse to donate their coats that did not fit their children any more. Madison First Selectman Fillmore McPherson also made contact  with me. He called my home to congratulate me and the department for taking on such an outstanding achievement.

Q: It can be hard to get a project like this going, particularly when you're working with volunteers. We're all so busy today, it can be hard to find extra time. Was this difficult to organize?

A: The hardest part of the coat drive was getting members to come down to the firehouse. Like you said, many of us are very busy with school, work, and the holidays. Another hard part was having to organize all the coats by male and female gender. But at the end, it was definitely worth all of it.

Q: What did you enjoy most about the coat drive?

A: I think the most fun part of the coat drive was being together as a group and as friends. We enjoyed organizing the coats and fooling around. It was a fun time to get everyone together. Fortunately, we did much of the work of organizing the coats while the drive was going on. We organized everything and got it all ready to be picked up. The community has already been a huge help. This just is furthe proof that even in difficult economic times like this, Madison is such a giving community.

Q: Is there anything else you'd like to add?

A: One thing that I would love to say, is thank you for everyone's generosity and support. The coat drive was a huge success and the town should look forward more coat drives in the future!