Courtesy of Kaison Kim

Administrative & Professional
Jorgensen Brooks Group
Counselor Trades/Construction
RANCHO RESORT
MAINTANANCE POSITION Mechanical
Komatsu Equipment Co
Resident Field Mechanic Sales and Marketing
Everready Glass
Sales Reps Administrative & Professional
Tucson Urban League
CEO/President Finance and Accounting
Charles E. Gillman Company
Accounting Specialist

The recipient of this week's Ben's Bell is Frank Maisano, a volunteer at the Pima County Sheriff's Department who helps make Halloween a little scarier and Christmas a little more joyful for thousands of people.

Maisano was nominated by sheriff's Lt. Karl Woolridge, who said he's "amazing."

"Frank truly has one of the biggest hearts you'll see," Woolridge said. "He really goes all out to make sure the kids have a fantastic Halloween and Christmas."

Maisano began volunteering at the Sheriff's Department three years ago, after his then-bosses received a letter asking if his framing and concrete company could help with the Halloween event. His bosses at SelectBuild, Fred Leyvas and George McKinley, put Maisano in charge of the effort and soon he was meeting with deputies and checking out the "haunted room" they set up for the event.

"I said, 'That's such a little thing. Let's really build something!' " Maisano recalls.

With his boss' support, Maisano soon was organizing a much larger project that brought in dozens of framers and other construction workers to create a real haunted house — 3,000 square feet of chillingly good fun.

"I love the Sheriff's Department, but they don't know how to use hammers," Maisano said, laughing.

Maisano's work on the Halloween event has grown even larger through the years, and at least 8,000 people attended the event this year, said Woolridge, who supervises special operations for his department, including the school resource officers, who run the holiday events.

At least 3,000 of those visitors shivered and shrieked their way through the haunted house, Woolridge said.

"Frank is just amazing when it comes to this event," he said. "It's incredible to watch him work, to bring it all together. And I heard nothing but positive remarks about how good the house was. People claim it's the best in Tucson."

Maisano doesn't just sit back when the construction is done, though. He rounds up his neighbors, and they all head down to cook a banquet of carne asada and ribs for all the deputies and other volunteers who run the event — more than 160 people volunteered to help this year.

"We just want to make sure all the guys eat," he said. "It's my way of saying thanks for all the help."I think they're spoiled now, though. They know I'm going to cook for them every year."

Almost as soon as the night ends, Maisano begins working on his other big event with the Sheriff's Department, the Christmas adopt-a-family program, run by the department's volunteer group, the Sheriff's Auxiliary Volunteers. This will be Maisano's second Christmas with the program.

He helps collect and deliver donations — even rounding up appliances on top of clothes, home goods and other items. Last year he even surprised families by rigging an inverter in the back of his truck, attaching it to a 12-foot inflatable Santa. Every time he drove up to a house, he pulled a switch and the Santa rose up in greeting.

"You see people who don't have anything and it means so much to give them something," he said.

His good deeds stem from a promise he made himself a decade ago, after he'd gotten into a bit of legal trouble for some driving infractions.

"I want to prove to people that maybe I was bad at one time, but you can turn your life around, you can do better," he said. "This is my way of saying I'm sorry for what I've done, but I've put the past behind me and I'm moving forward."

All of his agency's volunteers are important, Woolridge said, and do much to back up the force, from guiding traffic to helping with crime scenes.

But he said he wanted to honor the man who has made such a mission of helping others. Maisano has been lauded by the department several times, but Woolridge wanted to show him what he means to the overall community, too, so he nominated him for a Ben's Bell.

Of course, the folks with the bells agreed, and everyone arranged for a friendly little ambush earlier this week at the Sheriff's Department.

Officials invited him down under the auspices of needing his help building some shelves. Then they took him to a small internal awards ceremony that was honoring teachers and a county employee. At the end, Ben's mother, Jeannette Maré-Packard, stood up and started talking about a great volunteer who was spreading kindness. It took Maisano a minute to realize he was being honored.

"I wanted to cry, but I didn't want to cry in front of the deputies," he said. "I didn't know what to say. I still don't know what to say. I thank her with all my heart. It means more to me than anything."

Maisano said he couldn't do what he does without the support of his former bosses — and current boss Jon McGee at Bullseye Technologies — as well as all the other volunteers who work so hard.

This year, Pulte Homes also came up big, he said, donating thousands of dollars of supplies even though the construction industry is lagging.

Maisano also credited his wife of seven years, Karen, for her understanding and love — especially when she doesn't see him for days on end as he supervises construction.

"This is my passion. I love doing it. I love seeing the kids' faces," he said.