Mundy, now 24 years old and now working for the Montgomery County Board of Elections, was nominated for a Dayton Daily News Community Gem by Kim Maxwell-Boring.
“Nate is not your typical 24-year-old,” Maxell-Boring said. “When he was in high school, he worked all the time to make his school a better place. He quickly realized how important it is for him to volunteer his time and make a difference in the world.”
Mundy said his passion has changed over time, but he has always wanted to give kids opportunities to be more involved with their schools. He started a student rep program at West Carrollton High School High School and shared the model with other local schools.
“This program gives students a chance to interact with the school board and the administration,” Mundy said. “They can learn how to be driving forces to creative positive change at their own school and in their community.”
Credit: Jim Noelker
Credit: Jim Noelker
Mundy graduated from high school in 2019 and the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown arrived early the next year. He started to attend Sinclair Community College and then his mother got sick, and money was too tight for him to continue. Instead, he put college on hold and went to work for the US Postal Service. But his passion for public service continued.
“I always understood that I needed to be part of my community and especially in helping kids,” Mundy said. “You can’t make a difference by sitting on the sidelines, so I decided to run for school board.”
At the age of 20, Mundy was one of three write in candidates for the open school board position. He ran in a fierce campaign and ended up winning the seat. Because of that, his up to 80 hour per week post office job had to go.
“School board service is number one in my life,” Mundy said. “I was lucky enough to know people who helped me get hired on at the board of elections.”
Mundy helps kids directly by volunteering for Pirate Packs, a West-Carrollton organization that helps feed more than 400 students every weekend while school is in session. With a higher poverty rate in West Carrollton and food and grocery prices climbing, Mundy said It’s become vital to help prevent hunger in the community.
“I’ve been happy we’ve been able to feed thousands of kids over the years,” Mundy said. “If we had more funding, we could do this year-round, including the summer.”
Mundy is also involved in the local Lion’s Club where he acts as treasurer. He was instrumental in helping the club survive after he joined in 2019. He also started volunteering for Ohio’s Hospice of Dayton’s “Camp Joy” in 2018, helping grieving kids heal.
“Time is the most valuable thing we have in this world,” Mundy said. “Serving your community is priceless. I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
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