Extreme Teams Volunteer of the Month - November 2025
Jason Bardales is the November “Extreme Teams Volunteer of the Month!” When Randy nominated him, he said “Jason's awesome. I love Jason. He is all I mean, he's always talking to the residents. He's dropped his camera to help the project's team do stuff, when we fall behind.” Jason is the team leader of the Photography Team, as well as being a member of the team for Service Enterprise accreditation. His commitment and hard work are always appreciated on Work Days. On days when Jason is an Extreme Teams volunteer, he can be seen taking group photos, making the volunteers laugh, and talking to residents. Keep reading to hear more from Jason about his experience with Extreme Community Makeover.
How did you first hear about Extreme Community Makeover?
When Jason retired in May 2020, he was looking for places to volunteer in person. He liked ECM’s mission and that he could volunteer in person. “And then when I found out there was photography and I could pretend to be a photographer, it was like a win win.” He also volunteers with other organizations. “I feel like I got super lucky because I ended up volunteering in 3 different places, ECM, a local food bank, and for History Colorado Center. And I'm still doing all 3 of those.”
What is your favorite thing you have experienced on a Work Day?
Jason appreciates the wide range of resident reactions to receiving support. One day last year, volunteers were in Villa Park completing house projects and he got to have two different resident interactions back to back. “One was this cantankerous woman. She was micromanaging everything we did and critiquing it. But at the same time, she was super appreciative. And then the house after that was this other woman who could not have been sweeter and nicer. We talked nonstop for a good five, 10 minutes when I got there, before I could even try to take a picture. And I knew that this was important to both of them, but in different ways. And they were just showing it in their own way.” Jason wants volunteers to realize that there are vast differences in the way residents show their appreciation, and that the interactions are as important as the work done during Work Days. “You're making a difference for these people. But you're also engaging with them, and sometimes that might be their only engagement for the day. It was just a really interesting day because they were so far apart in their approaches to showing their appreciation.”
Do you have a favorite story about volunteering with ECM?
Two stories about being involved with ECM stick out to Jason. During his first summer of volunteering, when Covid was still significantly impacting daily life, a Work Day ended up being cancelled. There was a resident who needed a project done still, so Jason and the other Extreme Teams volunteers ended up doing it as a team. “It was myself and Randy and Ginger. It was just really cool because it was like us being the actual volunteers, and because I was so new to it, I didn't really conceptually understand. I still have my little postcard that I got for participating that day… And so then in retrospect, it's kind of nice to see that Ginger is still around and Randy and others.” Jason was also a part of the teams that got ECM certified as a Service Enterprise and then reaccredited again this year. “Ee went to the first meeting where looking at these other organizations. We were thinking ‘we're better than them, hands down. Let's prove it, we can put it on paper now and show it.’ So that really enhanced the sense of pride appreciation for not only what we do, but how we do it.”
How do you see the Photography Team making an impact during Work Days?
When the Extreme Teams are introducing themselves at the start of the Work Days, Jason likes to tell the volunteers “you get to make fun of me, I get to make fun of you.” “My biggest joke is that I tell the volunteers is this is the best team. The photography team is the best team because we don't have to do anything. You just walk around to people and take their pictures. And I joke about it, and I do think we've got the best seat in the house.” Jason got to literally have the best seat in the house earlier this year when lunch got rained out and moved to the ECM office. Jason found himself seated on the ECM desk to take pictures of the volunteers (photo below.) Jason loves getting to chose his favorite 5 photos from each Work Day, and then see them used later during Art is in the Air and in promotional materials. “My wife was an artist and I learned from her that there's art, and there's beauty in everything. It's just a matter of how you look at it. So to be able to apply that when I take pictures and take it to a whole other level of identifying something that somebody doesn't see in an image. It is a joy. When you volunteer, it's like, ‘I have to take pictures of the alleys again.’ Then you think ‘what are you going to see in this alley that's going to be different than the last time?’ And there have been some that have been super cool. I'm glad that was fun, capturing that image and making it different. You hold on to that and you strive for that every day.”
“My very favorite thing is when you take the pictures, you get to pick your favorite five. And then when you go to the year end meeting, you get to see pictures up there. You're like, hey, that one's mine and then you remember it. That's just like the coolest thing ever. I like pretending to be a photographer.”
How do you see ECM making an impact in Denver neighborhoods?
Jason says ECM’s impact is “priceless.” He has a foundation to honor the memory of his wife, called The Shannon B. Jones Passion Pursuit Foundation for Creative Learning and often looks to ECM for organizational inspiration. “A lot of what we do at ECM, I think ‘can I adapt that to my foundation to what we do or how we raise money or how we approach things?’ So I really do appreciate what goes into the life and existence of ECM.” Apart from the organizational aspects, Jason thinks the best way to measure the impact of Extreme Community Makeover is to look at the residents who rely on ECM year after year. “When you have clients that are calling you, saying, can you come back? That's proof of the pudding right there. The members of the Extreme Teams see its value, and it's worth for being a part of it, and the structure pays off.”
“I hope people who are getting involved with ECM for the first year or for the first time are quick to identify the uniqueness that exists. It’s not easy to put into words, but when you see how powerful the Extreme Teams are and how much we can execute as volunteers. I mean, that’s just sort of mind blowing to me. Always has been and always will be.”
Congratulations Jason!
Congratulations to Jason for being ECM’s Extreme Teams Volunteer of the Month! Learn more about how you can also get involved in the Extreme Teams. Check back in December to see who Jason nominated to be Volunteer of the Month!
