Volunteers are invaluable – and in demand
Every year around this time, the call goes out from your municipal government to send in the name of a volunteer who has made a difference in their community for whatever reason.
Over the years many have been named and have been asked to a presentation ceremony and been applauded for their good deeds.
I haven’t found out how long this celebration of the volunteer has been going on, but I think I remember that it’s been around at least 15 or 20 years but possibly even longer.
Since most of the volunteers – with few exceptions – have been people in their 'later' years, there has been an endless supply. But will that continue?
The various organizations I have belonged to in these parts for 22 years still have people doing the work. But there seem to be fewer than there used to be. The skills required to be a volunteer have changed as well. It used to be that cooking and baking skills were a must. That’s how the community halls managed to survive. And if there was a handy guy in the community, he would help with the painting or the roofing as long as the hall would buy the paint or the shingles. There would be a day set aside when the place just buzzed with laughter, sandwiches and tea while the work would get done with volunteers.
Food became the mainstay for raising funds to keep the lights on, the furnace running and complete the necessary repairs to these old buildings. There were takeout lunches for Mother’s and Father’s Day. There were potluck gatherings for the family and friends of those who passed away. There were birthday parties for kids. And there were sit-down lunches and dinners in the fall. And, of course, there was the Christmas potluck dinner with a visit from Santa Claus.
While this past 11 months has been hard on all kinds of local businesses, it has also been hard on the volunteer community. Wracking their brains for fundraising ideas and fun community things to do has been difficult. Community halls aren’t the only volunteer-dependent organizations. There are your local museums who are under great stress for several reasons. The volunteer fire departments are always in need – witness their 50/50 raffles going on Facebook these days. Churches are not as full as they used to be. Chambers of Commerce or Boards of Trade in small communities are getting smaller.
The calls continue to go out for people to serve on provincial advisory boards and any regional boards of directors. It’s becoming harder to ask people to give up time and money and brainpower to some of these boards. Many provincial boards have been reduced to “advisory” ones. And that’s exactly what it means – advice only. And of course, there is no compensation other than mileage for some boards’ meetings.
In this Time of COVID, grant writing has become a skill many organizations have relied on to bring in money. As we go forward, I would like to encourage any group looking for money from their fellow taxpayers to add in the number of hours that volunteers put in the run of a year – board meetings, emails, paying bills, cleaning, checking on the facility, cooking and baking – and add those hours in the spot for inkind contributions. As of April 1, the minimum wage is $12.95 per hour. While this may not do anything to persuade the funders, it will indicate the value that those volunteers put in to do something good and worthwhile for their community.
Take a look around your community. Look at what would not be there if it weren’t for volunteers: community halls, churches, lighthouses, fire departments, museums, artists’ co-operatives, drama groups, choirs, community bands, beautification groups, heritage protection organizations, town and county advisory committees, Lions Clubs, Legions, sports organizations, and on and on.
If you have some free time, think about giving to the people in the place where you reside. Be one of those people who can be counted on. Don’t be shy, those volunteers are usually a good bunch to hang out with and they almost always can bake a cake at the drop of a hat.