An Oxford Village resident is paying forward the generosity the community showed him by creating a pool of volunteers to help others.

Last October, Justin Willcock started a closed group Facebook page entitled, “Volunteers of North Oakland County (VONOC),” the purpose of which is to connect “those who wish to volunteer” with “those who seek volunteers.”

The group has 177 members and is “open to all denominations, groups and organizations that seek volunteers for a good cause,” according to the page.

Willcock formed this group as a way to show his gratitude  for all the people who contributed a total of approximately $3,500 last year to help him purchase new hearing aids.

He requires hearing aids because he was born with Usher Syndrome, a condition that leads to partial or total hearing loss and vision loss that worsens over time. He’s been wearing hearing aids since about the age of 5 and was legally blind by the time he turned 30. Willcock is often seen walking around town with his guide dog Alex.

Because of his disability, Willcock is somewhat limited in the ways he can give back to the community.

“No one’s going to give me a power tool and a ladder, and say go climb the roof,” he said.

After giving it some thought, he came up with the idea for a “centralized” place to match folks with a desire to give of themselves with groups and causes that need manpower.

“This is my best way to help other people,” Willcock said.

Willcock views volunteerism as a means to get people involved with others “they might not interact with every day.”

This helps build a “stronger community” as people gain a better understanding of each other and “feel closer and more connected” to the place they call home, he explained.

Willcock is in the process of organizing a volunteer fair to be held on Saturday, April 13 at Immanuel Congregational United Church of Christ at the corner of Hovey and Dennison streets in the village. It will run from noon to 3 p.m.

Nonprofit organizations are invited to set up a booth, mingle with the public and disseminate information regarding who they are, what they do and the types of volunteer opportunities they have available.

“I have 23 nonprofit groups who have said they were interested,” Willcock said. “I’ve had a very positive response from all the organizations.”

So far, five organizations have confirmed they will be there, including Love In the Name of Christ (Love INC) of North Oakland County, the Polly Ann Trail and Oxford-Orion FISH.

There will be no charge for booth space or admission to the fair. “It’s not going to cost anybody a dime,” Willcock said.

However, he is considering asking attendees to bring nonperishable food items to stock FISH’s pantry.

“It would be appreciated, but not required,” Willcock said.