He has supported the schools and city's financial needs at every turn:
- Either chaired or was an active participant on every Novi Schools ballot initiative since 2007
- Revenue generated from these bonds and millages has totaled over $500 million for the school district WITHOUT RAISING TAXES!
- Active volunteer in the passing of the bond that raised $16 million for the new library which has been a great asset to Novi students, again WITHOUT RAISING TAX RATES!
Willy has been an active supporter of Student Athletes:
- He is a member of the Novi Athletic Boosters
- He has attended countless athletic events
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He has been a volunteer staff member of Novi Football for the past 11 seasons (2004-present):
- Serves as team's statistician, webmaster and technologist.
- Has worked over 175 games (both home and away) recording every single play
- Developed and manages the team's website: NoviFootball.org
- Coordinates with team photographers and archives game photos
- Calls newspapers immediately after games so that OUR students get mentioned
- Sends out weekly post-game updates to players, parents, alumni and fans
- Creates content for and runs video scoreboard
- Fully Automatic Timing (FAT) system engineer for Novi Track and Crosso Country
Willy has been an energetic supporter of Band Students:
- Over the years, he has volunteered his time to support many fundraising events
- For the past 4 years, he has volunteered at the Winter Guard and Percussion show, using his technical skills to process digital voice recordings of judge’s feedback and delivering them to participating schools
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He has been a annual volunteer at the band’s biggest fundraiser… Fanfare.
- He advocated on behalf of the Band Boosters and was given school district approval to use this equipment for this event
- He has spent a significant amount of hours preparing graphic content for each and every school that participates in this yearly event
- As a result of his work, this event stands out over all others in the state of Michigan and has had a positive impact on band finances
- Advocated for a synthetic turf field because band students often were restricted from using grass football field because of weather conditions
Willy has been an active supporter of Broadcasting Students:
- Successfully advocated for a dedicated pressbox room for students to broadcast games without being interrupted by all of the background noise
- Successfully advocated for a pressbox internet connection so that students could conduct their audio broadcasts world-wide, as well as for Novi High School's radio station (WOVI - 89.5 FM)
- Donated an audio mixer and made available a wireless hotspot so that students could broadcast events from remote locations
- Created a system for students to view live stats during football games in order to fill some of the "dead air" that hinders beginning broadcasters
- Continues to support Novi students well after they graduate. Leverages his position with the Detroit Lions to give students the opportunity to see, first-hand, what it’s like to work a professional football game
Willy has been a supporter of Students with Disabilities:
- Served as the Communications Manager for the group "Let 'em Play" that was formed to help force change to the Michigan High School Athletic Associations's (MHSAA) age-restriction rules that were detrimental to students with disabilities
- Responsible for the website and press releases.
- Willy became involved after watching a story in 2012 about how Dean Dompierre was being pushed aside as he fought for his son Eric's rights to participate. Eric is a Down Syndrome student athlete who was held back twice during kindergarten. For 8 months, Willy worked with Eric’s dad, a group of concerned citizens, State legislators, Superintendents and the media to pressure the MHSAA to simply allow member schools to decide whether to give waivers to students with disabilities who have passed the maximum age for participation. The story was covered by state, national and international news sources.The group eventually prevailed. Eric went on to play basketball and football his senior year. And, as luck would have it, he and his Ishpeming High School football team went on to win the state championship.
Willy has been a supporter of Special Education students:
- Extensive and personal experience navigating the world of Special Education
- Helped counsel numerous parents on their rights and how to get the help that their children deserve
Willy has been a Scout Leader for many years:
- Led activities for young people in order to help them grow physically, mentally and spiritually
- Chaired many scouting events, including Pinewood Derbys for the past 11 years. He plans to continue to do that for the Novi Girl Scouts and for the Cub Scout packs at multiple Novi elementary schools.
- Many of the students who Willy has led, as far back as first grade, will be starting their senior year in High School this fall. Some are busy in Athletics, Band, Theater and other activities. He still sees many these students today and has enjoyed watching them grow.
