Behind every captivating Georgia Symphony Orchestra (GSO) performance is a team of passionate volunteers, contributing to an atmosphere of community with a commitment to excellence. LaFrench Rollins is one such volunteer. On most performance evenings, you’ll find her at the Will Call desk, chatting with patrons, waving to familiar faces, answering questions and pointing the way.
For me, one of the greatest aspects of volunteering is getting to see people from all walks of life and all cultures. Music bridges the gap between people.
A Heart for Hospitality
LaFrench’s journey to joining the GSO’s team of volunteers began when she relocated to Kennesaw in late 2020 to be closer to her sons. A long-time church volunteer, LaFrench knew how fulfilling it can be to serve in the local community. She decided that in her season of retirement she wanted to, “venture out a bit more,” looking for new opportunities for community service.
She shares, “I enjoy meeting new people, helping people, learning new things, remaining active… and because I’ve worked in customer service and because of my love of the arts, I looked for volunteer positions that covered all my loves. That is when I found the GSO.”
LaFrench reached out to the box office coordinator who invited her to come to the next performance: “As I listened to her tell me more about the organization, how it served the community, how it involved children and students, people from all cultures and walks of life, I knew then that I had found my niche.”
A Passion for Music
LaFrench loves the quiet moment just before the doors close, when all the patrons are seated and she and the other volunteers slip into the hall to experience the music. It reminds her of her childhood in a small country town, where she sometimes felt lonely as an only child. Her mother bought her a toy jukebox with phonograph records which included the music of classical composers. At first, LaFrench was unconvinced, but then she began listening to the music. As songs like Moonlight Sonata played, she would close her eyes and be transported to faraway places, swept up in the music. Her passion for the arts has been a constant theme through her life since those early days.
“Even though I don’t play an instrument,” LaFrench shares about her volunteer work, “I feel that I am contributing to those who do, and to those who enjoy the arts. I am saddened when the season ends—and excited all over again at the beginning of a new season!”
Creating the Culture
By volunteering, LaFrench sees herself as contributing to the culture of the GSO and to the larger community: “For me, one of the great aspects of volunteering is getting to see people from all walks of life and all cultures. Music bridges the gap between people.”
She believes the organization’s culture begins with the staff, and is carried on by the volunteers, musicians, and patrons. “When the staff is warm, inviting, enthusiastic, mission conscious, dedicated to serving, dedicated to the arts and spreading all that throughout, it becomes contagious, and you truly find yourself all in,” LaFrench shares, “That is what I felt after connecting with the orchestra and its people. Then I met some of the musicians and the fever just spread.”
Her final charge to those considering volunteering is this: “If you want to contribute to your community, be a part of the continuance and growth of this fine organization, while socializing, meeting new people and just having a lot of fun, please consider volunteering with the Georgia Symphony Orchestra. You will be happy that you did. I am so blessed to be a part of this great organization!”
