This month’s featured Tool Library volunteer is Mia Mychajliw!
Mia is a pre-med public health major at UB who was drawn to the Tool Library’s Lead Safe Program and other projects as a way to affect the social determinants of health in her community.
What motivated you to become a volunteer at the Tool Library, and how has the experience been?
I heard about the Tool library when they posted the Lead Safe Program Coordinator job
opening. I never knew about the Tool Library before this and now I honestly can’t imagine it not
being a part of my life. I ended up not being chosen for the coordinator position, but Darren
advocated for me to stay on as an intern with the program. It has been such an amazing
experience working with Marty and learning from them. To know that the work we do genuinely
helps people and makes their lives healthier is something that I will always cherish.
Is there any overlap in your interest in the Tool Library and your studies at UB?
I am a public health major on the pre-medical track. I’m really passionate about addressing the
social determinants of health and the inequities that are such an intense burden on the people
of Buffalo and WNY. It’s partially why I’m choosing to stay at UB for my masters in public health
before moving onto medical school. The Tool Library is such a unique organization because
whether people realize it or not, it’s making the community a healthier place to live. The work we
do saving people money on tools doesn’t just lighten a financial burden, it builds a sense of
community and strength. There is a distinct sense of purpose found with working at the Tool
Library. It means the world that I can make someone’s life just a little bit easier to greet people
with a smile, and help them find the tools they need.
What’s your favorite thing to do with Tool Library tools? Do you have any DIY or repair specialties?
I am laughably very inexperienced when it comes to power tools. That’s part of why I find the
Tool Library so valuable, because it really pushed me outside of my comfort zone. I will say
though that I was able to screw together some wooden crates my neighbor made me into a
more sturdy bookcase. It’s a small project and I can neither confirm nor deny that I squealed like
a scaredy cat when I had to use an angle grinder for less than a minute, but I had never done
anything like it before, so for me that’s a win.
What would you most like to learn to do with the tools that you don’t know already?
Confidence. I’ve gotten a lot better but I have a loooong way to go. I’d like to expand my knowledge even more on the tools we have and what to do with them.
How has being a volunteer impacted your perspective on the Buffalo community?
I’m not directly from the city of Buffalo, but I’m born and raised in the Western New York area. The Tool Library has offered me a sense of community that’s independent from anything else I’ve ever known. I’ve driven around to a lot of places I never would’ve been because of different outreach events on behalf of the Tool Library. Even though I’ve lived here my whole life and have seen a lot of what Buffalo has to offer, I’ve gained a fresh perspective on this city and its people. I see a lot of resilience and hope through my one-on-one interactions with people. It made this city feel even more like home.
What’s your favorite tool?
I don’t know if this counts, but a needle and thread. I love to sew and hand embroider. I love that I get to create something beautiful and functional that didn’t exist before. I even brought my neighbor to the visible mending workshop that was hosted as part of circular October, it was a really cool event.