When I was a child, I took for granted the fact that things would happen — decorations would appear along Main Street at Christmas time, a parade would take place on Memorial Day, a festival would come to life on summer evenings, fire trucks and ambulances would roll if there were an emergency.
As I grew older, I came to understand that those things don’t just happen. Volunteers make them happen.
I’ve been thinking about volunteerism recently, since hearing a speaker at an event muse about how nice it would be if someone did something he wanted done.
His desire was worthy. A supportive crowd echoed it.
I was less supportive. My thought was, “Great idea. Why don’t you do something about it?”
Volunteers are everywhere, doing all sorts of things. We especially benefit from their donated time and effort in small towns like the ones in The Daily Star’s coverage area.
There are very visible volunteers, such as firefighters and emergency medical providers who leave their homes at all hours to aid neighbors in distress, and spend countless more hours training so they can do those jobs effectively.
There are civic organizations that take an interest in the well-being of their communities and the wider world. There are niche groups that take on everything from community beautification to youth activities.
There are business volunteers who band together in chambers of commerce and work to make their communities more prosperous. Those businesses are also a vital source of donations to support other volunteer efforts, by the way.
There are volunteers in religious organizations, working to support those of their respective faiths and, often, the greater community.
There are some who work all year to make sure that one event, such as a parade, happens as the community expects.
There are, no doubt, others that aren’t coming to me as I write this.
One thing that all of these volunteers have in common is that there just aren’t enough of them.
Civic clubs have been aging, shrinking and disappearing for years. Fire departments fight to recruit members and, increasingly, rely on for-profit ambulance services to respond to emergencies. Organizations for military veterans are aging and shrinking, too, despite the availability of new vets from recent conflicts.
My own thinking on volunteerism was shaped from a young age. Four generations of my family have served in local fire departments (full disclosure: I am not among them, though I support the department however I can). I saw both grandfathers, parents, siblings and, now, the generation behind me, step up to help the community through public service in various ways.
That’s probably why it’s important to me to be involved. I’m a board member of two organizations and involved in a couple more. It’s a juggling act, sometimes, but it’s gratifying.
That’s why I have a high regard for volunteers and little patience for those who aren’t helping, but complain that others aren’t doing enough.
There are all sorts of things that need doing and all sorts of groups that are doing them. There are opportunities for pretty much everyone to take some time and make life just a little bit better for all of us. Those efforts add up. They give us common cause and tie us together as a community.
Find a group that does something that interests you. Ask how to join. If you’d like to see something happen, and there’s no group doing it, find some like-minded individuals and get it started.
Most of all, the next time you wish someone would do something for the community, think of yourself as that someone.