Jan 15, 2004

Volunteer of the Week: Michael Janes

By Miranda Schultz
Staff Writer

The beginning of the school year brought a world of change into the life of Michael Janes. In cases like this, change is definitely good.

Making the decision to take some time off and enjoy some of the finer things in life, Janes likes to think of it as a preview for what retirement will bring.

For the past 20-plus years, he has been working in marketing, and has been a guru in the dot-com businesses of Apple and FedEx. His hard work, (and stock options) have allowed for him to relax.

“Instead of getting a new house or a new car,” said Janes “I opted to spend some time with my kids. I’m so fortunate to have the opportunity to do this.”

Janes now volunteers for the Leland High School sports department, shooting photographs of many of the games, and has also joined his wife Bobbi’s volunteer efforts at Bret Harte Elementary School.

With the onset of the booming digital technology era, Janes has become engrossed in photography, amazed at the timeliness.

“Digital photography has become a passion, I wasn’t ever into photography before. I used to take all of the obligatory holiday pictures, but once digital became such an accessible option, I was hooked.”

All Janes had to do was mention to his son Dave’s freshman basketball coach at Leland that he was interested in volunteering to take pictures, and from there, things just happened. He attends all of his son’s games, and other Leland games as well, posting pictures on two Web sites he created. His pictures frequently appear in The Times.

He also uses his years of marketing experience to raise money for the schools, but he says it’s really all about helping the kids and ensuring they have an enjoyable experience.

“Plus, I’m a basketball junkie.”

Janes envisions himself going back to work one day, but is more than grateful to be able to enjoy the things in life, like his children, that once those years are gone, will never be replaced.

“I’ll never regret taking time off, this is a priceless experience,” said Janes. “Things like being able to eat dinner around the table at night—it’s been absolutely priceless to do things like that. I’ve always envied my wife’s volunteer work, but I’ve always been in the position to just write the check, which isn’t nearly as fulfilling as giving something people couldn’t get otherwise, I’m capturing memories.”

Janes, and Bobbi, his wife of 24 years, his son, and daughter Randi, a junior at Leland, have been living in Almaden for five years. He says that the community attracted them from the beginning.

“Moving here from Memphis, we really liked the community spirit, how it revolves around the kids. We met so many families right away and knew this was a great place to live.”

Even though he’s taking time off from his regular job, Janes is still busy. Between attending Leland Games, volunteering at Bret Harte, spoiling his wife with breakfasts at the Almaden Cafe and bugging his kids, he says he’s had a lot of fun.

“I’m really enjoying doing this,” he said. “I get memories, too.”