Volunteer Spotlight: Wendy & Wyatt Pidel: A Legacy of Service

This Volunteer Appreciation Week, we’re proud to shine a light on Wendy Pidel and her son Wyatt, two familiar faces whose commitment to Ellicott City has left a lasting impact.

Wendy first fell in love with Old Ellicott City in 1993 during a visit to Cacao Lane as a UMBC student. “I found myself desperately trying to remember the route on the way home: Wilkens Avenue to Rolling Road to Frederick Road to Main Street, so I could come back,” she says. “Now, I feel like I know every crack in the sidewalk.”

That love turned into action. A Master Firefighter and EMT with Howard County Fire & Rescue since 1999, Wendy joined the Ellicott City Partnership five years ago. She has become a consistent and compassionate presence at events throughout town. “Serving others has always just been instinctive for me,” she says. “It definitely crosses over between my Fire & Rescue career and the volunteer work with ECP.”

What’s perhaps most inspiring is the way she has passed that spirit of service on to her sons, Ben and Wyatt. “It’s important for them to see those values in me and determine which ones are important to them,” she explains. “At this point, they expect to work events. It’s become the norm in our family.”

This year, Wyatt is spending part of his 16th birthday volunteering at SpringFest. It’s just the latest in a long list of ways he has shown up for the community. Wendy’s favorite recent memory is watching him take on the role of town leprechaun at the St. Patrick’s Day event. “He was so into it, giving out gold coins, posing for pictures, really engaging with people, and showing so much pride for our town.”

The Pidels even reached what Wendy calls "the pinnacle of being a local" this past winter, when all four family members- Wendy, her husband, and both sons- volunteered at Midnight Madness together.

Her advice to other families? Start early and do it together. “Not only is it a great way to feel important, to make memories, and to have it in your back pocket for jobs or college applications, but it’s equally as great to give back to the town that gives us so much.”