National Volunteer Week

National Volunteer week is April 19-25. Volunteers are great people. Whenever you want to feel good about life, be a volunteer. I have volunteered in many capacities in my life. Most people don't know this about me, but years ago I was the director of a student volunteer program at Presbyterian Intercommunity Hospital, in Whittier, California (celebrated as the home town of President Nixon -- or not). I was in charge of developing the program and supervising student volunteers. I found that when kids did things for others, they shined. They always felt needed and important -- and they were. I was recommended for that job because I was volunteering at the hospital information desk one night a week. I think I always had volunteer jobs because I want to be in the thick of things and I always want to know what is happening at any given time. Some would call that "nosy", but I like to think of it as being in the know about current events!

I volunteered in other capacities over the years and I have always thought that when I have time (exactly when will that be?), that I would volunteer with the Red Cross. I think that plays right into being where the action is. I am not one of those people who gawks at crashes or wants to rush to the scenes of accidents, but I do feel the need to help make things right when a situation is bad for someone else. It's the rescuer in me. I think all three of my children may have inherited that gene. As a result, we are a haven for strays of any kind, times four. My daughter is trying to talk me into a kitten as we speak. Never mind that we have three cats, two dogs, and a turtle who managed to live in the house for year before I learned about him! How does that happen? My daughter had me convinced that he was ceramic. Okay that does sound dumb, but he's a water turtle and was always shiny. He cooperated by not moving every time I was around. By the time I figured out he was real, I was informed that he was "no problem" and that I didn't even notice him so he must be allowed to stay. Now he resides in a tank in the family room with a brand new "turtle log" and eats more than a small dog. But, I digress...

This is national volunteer week. One of the things I like about the new adminstration's plan is to put into place a "national service", where everyone can give their time to serve their country, not just in the military. Kids, especially, need to volunteer and see how great it can be to help someone, whether in a homeless shelter, a local hospital, a food bank, or a pet shelter. There are so many good things to do. I have found that when someone volunteers, it becomes an addiction. They keep volunteering. I think that's how I ended up as a Chamber of Commerce Director, a campaign worker, a proponent of citihood, and recently found my way to a Rotary Club meeting. The list goes on. What I can say is that I have loved every moment of the time I have spent volunteering and it's a great way to meet quality people who will become your good friends.

I would love to hear all the ways people are volunteering. Let me know what you're doing! :).