Music to his ears

Volunteering is a way of life for Michael Peterson.

The 50-year-old Costa Mesa resident, who also owns his business in

the city, started experiencing the joy of helping people a few years

ago when he got involved with Youth Employment Services, a local

nonprofit that helps young people find jobs.

“It just started with me looking for people to hire,” he said.

“Slowly, I got involved with that group and with other organizations

doing little things like supplying coffee and giving them some of my

time.”

Peterson also volunteers with local organizations such as the

Someone Cares Soup Kitchen as well as others in the county, such as

Discovery Arts at the Children’s Hospital of Orange County.

Last month, he helped out the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society by

participating in its National Balloon Sales Program.

“What I did was had these paper balloons for sale in my store,”

Peterson explained. “People could buy one of these balloons for $5

and we would inflate it and put it up in the store with either their

name on it or a name they choose to put on the balloon.”

Peterson has owned Java-T-Go coffee shop on Newport Boulevard for

the last seven years. He is also a part-time musician who plays the

guitar and organizes shows for corporations.

Peterson sees music in his future as a volunteer. He says he has

plans to raise money for the Discovery Arts program through music

shows.

“I’d like to get local musical talent organized so they can raise

money doing what they do best,” he said.

For Peterson, the satisfaction comes from “knowing that you’re

doing something to help people.”

“You get tired of hearing about all the bad stuff,” he said. “It’s

hard to explain why I do it. But it has nothing to do with being

noticed or getting recognized.”

-- Story by Deepa Bharath