Mike Spagnolo

Title: Leadership Facilitator
Interesting Fact:  To help pay for university, Mike worked for a promotions company where he was required to dress up as Tony the Tiger as well as model for Zellers Magazine!

Mike Spagnolo joined the Leaders Today team in 2007 as a leadership facilitator with the Volunteer Now! program, excited to motivate youth to become active citizens in tangible ways. His experiences volunteering at home and abroad have inspired him to live an altruistic life and he hopes to empower young people to reach out to the needs of those around them.

Born and raised in Markham, Ontario, Mike has always had a strong interest in understanding the complexities that people face on a daily basis. After spending several weeks working with children and youth in Guatemala in Grade 12, Mike was determined to become an advocate for social change. Over the next six years, Mike volunteered at an after-school children’s program in Scarborough, led a campus club that promoted child rights issues and coordinated youth volunteers at the Canadian Cancer Society. After graduating from York University with a major in political science and sociology, Mike set off to volunteer in Guyana, where he planned and facilitated workshops in a small island community on topics such as literacy training, sexual health, and drug and alcohol abuse. Soon after, Mike travelled with several friends through Singapore, Indonesia, Hong Kong and Thailand, and developed an appreciation for different cultures and learned new ways to bring meaning to his life.

Mike is typically seen hiking the trails of Northern Ontario, rocking the bass guitar and hitting the slopes for some winter snowboarding. Mike aspires to one day grow his beard to an astronomical length and climb Mount Kilimanjaro!