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4-28-08 Pamela Sweetwood FORUM
04/28/2008 11:16:07
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WJBC Forum
April 28, 2008
This is Pamela Sweetwood for WJBC’s forum.
April 27th through May 3rd is designated National Volunteer Week. It is a week set aside to recognize and appreciate those who give their time and effort without pay.
There are volunteers and volunteer opportunities almost everywhere you look.
There are many places that involve formal and informal education: daycares, elementary schools, the Children’s Discovery Museum, Girl & Boy Scouts, the American Red Cross, the McLean County Museum of History, 4H, afterschool, literacy and GED programs all are local options.
Volunteers can be found working with seniors through nursing homes, Peace Meals, senior activity centers, and Faith in Action.
Volunteers with a passion for the environment or animals may be found at the Ecology Action Center, Friends of the Constitution Trail, the Humane Society or Miller Park Zoo.
Some volunteers may not be so apparent. They may quietly be a friendly face to someone in a nursing home or incarcerated.
Volunteers build homes with Habitat for Humanity, serve a meal at Safe Harbor or help distribute food through the Midwest Food Bank.
I have not even touched on hospitals, libraries, youth sports, churches, museums, art centers, the Normal Theatre, health-related organizations and those dedicated to helping disabled citizens. So many non-profits contributing valuable resources to our community!
Plus there are civic organizations and college/high school groups spreading their volunteer work among many non-profit agencies as well as special events like the Jingle Bell Run.
Take the time to notice all the volunteers in our community. They enrich not only the agency they serve but our community as a whole. Our culture is fortunate that individuals do indeed look out for one another and are willing to sacrifice their time and apply their skills and talents for the benefit of another.
Those who volunteer know the truth…that volunteering does have rewards much more than financial.
This is Pamela Sweetwood with today’s WJBC forum.
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