On a humid summer night in San Rafael, music enveloped the Elks Lodge. Guests danced around the property, celebrating the newlyweds with a live band, people laughed, food was scattered everywhere, and drinks were running low. Meanwhile, a familiar woman scurried around, making sure everything was in order and considering the chaos around her. It wasn’t an easy job. Luckily, it had gotten late, but the party kept on, so the woman weaved through the guests to shut down the band.
“I’m a resourceful person by nature, so I just mentally prioritize tasks and get to work solving whatever issues that come up,” she said.
With the music down, the commotion slowed, and with a reminder of the 10 p.m. curfew, guests slowly filtered out.
Brigette Waterbury often deals with rowdy crowds, as she hosts both private and community events. She is a well-known member of the community, participating in various fundraising events and even partnering with San Rafael High School’s Interact Club. No matter where she is, you’ll see her with a smile on her face and a purse half her size.
“When I go to an event that she’s coordinating, when she’s not there, I’m disappointed that I don’t get to see her,” Lula Leopard, a senior at SRHS, said. “Anytime I see her, I smile.”
Nowadays, Brigette works with the Elks Lodge as a de facto general manager. Everything needs to be in order, and she’s the one to do it. The events she hosts are her largest projects, and even with the risks that they bring, she allows students to help. Brigette tries her best to get the youth involved in the community, both through volunteering and setting up fundraisers that students deem important. She finds workers through Interact as she values hard work and thinks it’s important to offer jobs to the youth. “I fight to keep those jobs for the Interact club members,” she said.
Brigette’s parents and upbringing inspired many of her values, although her parents divorced while she was in third grade.
Due to her parents’ divorce, Brigette moved to Las Vegas with her mom. “It was a big cultural shock to go from a rural agricultural area to a city in the desert.” With a single mother trying to provide, Brigette and her siblings learned to be self-sufficient, each doing their own chores. Brigette was also tasked with the role of mediator between her siblings, honing her people skills.
At the age of 12, Brigette’s mother passed away. In 1970, she moved back in with her dad, who had recently remarried, and Brigette soon found her stepmother to be a big inspiration. Her stepmother loved her job and continued working even with kids, which was uncommon at the time. “That always stuck with me, that you could have a job that you loved.”
Brigette is an SRHS alumna and graduated from UC-Davis with a degree in International Relations. Even so, she worked almost exclusively in sales. She even began her own advertising company, Marketing Concepts. Once the global pandemic hit, she got tired of being home, and with the Elks Lodge looking for a part-time worker, she took the opportunity. The job transitioned to her current one, where she rents out the Elks space for community events.
The Elks Lodge’s goals go hand in hand with her involvement in Rotary International, as both value charity. Brigette helped found the Bay Area branch of Rotary, with their initial focus being on the Canal area of San Rafael. A lot of the community work done is aimed at underprivileged areas of the bay, such as the Canal. For instance, Interact Club fundraises to take Bahia Vista, an elementary school, on field trips.
“Her efforts, kindness, and compassion are deeply interwoven into so many avenues of our community, and you would never know because she never makes it about herself,” Katleen, Briette’s daughter, said.
When Brigette was interested in signing up her daughter for a Girl Scout troop, she realized there were none nearby, so she made one. She made three, actually, and became the troop leader for a group of scouts.
“Being a person that others can depend on is important to me and has opened a lot of doors for me in the community,” Brigette stated.
Her altruistic initiative is consistently on display. When she noticed there was no Interact Club within her Rotary Club, she helped found one. “She has always been active in volunteering in the community, and puts her heart into everything she does,” Katleen said.
Being the Interact Club liaison, Brigette is the main information source for students interested in working for the community. While she does offer community service hour opportunities, many students also find relief in the paid jobs she brings to the table. “Most of the money I have came from Elks Events,” said Nathanial Blumin, a senior at SRHS.
While at a serving and bussing event, a longstanding member of Interact, Jason Chang, reported Brigette passing around a tip jar for the student workers. “It was really thoughtful of her, and a nice bonus since we were only there to volunteer.” Jason also recounted how she did her best to ensure students left with a full stomach, offering meals and encouraging them to take food home.
Throughout her years working with the youth, Brigette has gained confidence in the future of the community, as a young perspective can offer valuable insight. “I have always felt like empowering youth and giving them experiences and skills that they might not otherwise gain can have a huge impact not only in their lives, but also in the fabric of our community and the world.” And although she is likely looking to train a replacement within the next five years, Brigette will continue to work as long as she is productive and enjoying herself.
With the wedding party over and the guests gone, it was time for cleanup. Luckily, a group of three SRHS students arrived and got to work under Brigette’s instruction. Tables rolled into the storage room, alongside stacks of chairs, and soon the night was over.
