Two of Jeff Mitchell’s many fans want to make sure he’s recognized as an Unsung Hero.
They prefer anonymity. Yet their admiration and respect for Jeff is clear. One writes:
Jeff’s gift of his time, to strengthen our community and make it a more enjoyable place for others, is striking. And he seeks no attention, fanfare, credit, praise or accolades.
As a volunteer for the Remarkable Theater, Jeff did not miss an opportunity to help every night of film, for the past 3 years. He did not miss one screening!
Beyond assisting in various roles, Jeff took tremendous extra steps, ensuring all would have a “remarkable” time.
Jeff Mitchell
He created a grid-like parking system, with an arc design, so every car enjoyed clear sight lines.
Jeff brought receivers/speakers from home and wired them up nightly, so guests who wanted to sit outside their cars could easily hear the soundtrack.
Jeff stayed late to jump-start all makes and models of cars if they had drained their batteries. People could not praise and thank him enough.
With unmeasurable patience and encouragement, Jeff taught members of the Remarkable Workforce (adults with disabilities) how to become proficient and independent at new tasks and responsibilities.
Jeff assisted with Wi-fi issues, projector issues, car tech issues — any tech issues, for that matter. He enjoyed the challenge, and giving his knowledge, attention and time, to help others.
Jeff advocates for the Remarkable Theater, giving those who struggle to represent themselves a voice. He promotes the Remarkable Theater, continuously suggesting new and exciting possibilities for future fun around the theater and town,
In his world of Westport Little League baseball, he endlessly does those same sorts of things too.
If a kid nails a home run, Jeff quietly climbs through the woods to retrieve the ball. The joy on a child’s face when Jeff hands over the prize is palpable.
Knowing how much the co-ed Challenger team (for players with disabilities) and their families look forward to baseball, Jeff goes out of his way to ensure they have a playable field. He brings rakes from home, and flour if necessary to stripe the baselines. The families respond with delight and glee.
He’s the guy in the shadows who goes unnoticed. But whatever the circumstance, Jeff is there, always ready to help, working from the heart. He is your friendly, neighborhood superhero (Unsung Hero too).
Another fan adds:
Jeff coached his own kids in Little League. They are now 29 and 27, so you can see he goes way back. Plus he’s been on the Westport Baseball & Softball board, and has volunteered for the last 20 years.
He does so many tasks, they’d need 10 people to replace him.
Despite it being a very complex job, with tons of moving parts and logistics, he is never impatient. He does not raise his voice or get angry.
Among his contributions:
Tech guy; internet issues.
Liaison with League Athletics — umpire coordinator. He has the thankless job of getting young umpires scheduled. He has to deal with frequent no-shows and replacements, at the last minute.
He schedules the fields for a large number of teams, and has to coordinate timing with other youth sports.
He sends out all league emails, and inputs all fees for billing.
He is the ultimate Superfan. He attends Little League, Challenger and Staples games regularly.
He is the liaison between Little League and the Staples Diamond Club. He runs LL Day, when all Little Leaguers attend a Staples game, meet the players, run on the field (and get free pizza).
He broadcasts summer games on Facebook Live, enabling lazy people (like me), out-of-towners and parents who can’t attend to see the entire game, with his commentary. Even when it’s 95 degrees!
He gathers game scores and posts them on the website.
He has volunteered as kindergarten commissioner for many years. He loves to organize teams so kids from the same school can be together. He happily fields annoying parent requests to change teams so “Johnny can play with Timmy.” Has to recruit tons of coaches (because many pre-K/K kids means many coaches).
He arranged for Challenger to play at the East Regional Tournament game in Bristol next year — the one that determines which teams go to the Little League World Seriies.
Oh, yeah: Jeff drops off ice cream in the concession stand freezer for Challenger.
I’m exhausted reading all this!
Congratulations, Jeff Mitchell. You are our VERY well-deserving “06880” Unsung Hero of the week.
(Anyone can nominate an Unsung Hero. Email 06880blog@gmail.com)
(If you enjoy our Unsung Hero — or any other “06880” feature — please support our work. Just click here. Thank you!)
What a “Remarkable Guy”! He deserves all the praise & more.
Ditto’
Amen!! What makes this town so great!!
The paradigmatic ‘Unsung Hero’ … like no other
Jeff is a one of kind incredible human being. I’ve had the pleasure of coaching with him in the early days and all I can say he taught my son and I so many important lessons. Unsung hero is an understatement! Congrats Jeff!!
Jeff does a great job in Westport he he does ally from sal liccione
Westport Baseball and Softball is so lucky to have this amazing, selfless person who has contributed endlessly. Kudos to Jeff!
I have witness the work Jeff does for Westport Baseball and Softball and completely agree he is an invaluable resource and the definition of an “unsung hero”. Congratulations on the recognition.
One of the great pleasures of my time running Westport Softball was working with Jeff. So competent and generous with his time And a really nice guy. Miss you pal!
Thanks, Jeff, for your tireless commitment to our community!
I rarely comment but had to weigh in to support all the well-deserved praise for Jeff who is the hardest working and most self-less volunteer I’ve ever had the pleasure of serving with! And your post is just a fraction of Jeff’s efforts on behalf of the Westport community and beyond…
I’ve seen Jeff’s dedication firsthand for many years on the baseball field. Well deserved recognition for someone who goes above and beyond to make our community great!
What an amazing guy! Jeff deserves all the plaudits in this column, and thousands more! (and, no, I’ve never met him!)
There’s a reason Westporters consider The Remarkable Theater their #1 experience here in Westport. It’s not the lot, the giant screen, or the familiar movie. It’s the Remarkable Workforce helping 40+ town organizations turn vacant space into 40+ unique experiences that showcase the best our town has to offer. How can one not want to be a part of this?
Similarly, there’s a reason Little League has been a rite of passage for Westport kids since 1951. It’s where so many lifelong friendships begin, even if one’s love of baseball is fleeting. And there’s no more love of sport for sport’s sake, as opposed to winning or losing, than our Challenger program. Again, how can one not want to be a part of this?
In sum, I’d prefer to think of Westport as the unsung hero for allowing so many of us the opportunity to be unsung heroes by simply doing what we already immensely enjoy.