A few weeks ago, I wrote about volunteers, and how there doesn’t seem to be as many as there used to be. I have had to change my mind on that somewhat because now some volunteers have come forward to give their time to working at the Lutheran Counseling and Family Services Thrift Store.
Some of the open days are now filled, with able workers, both male and female. That doesn’t mean that all of the hours are taken. There is still room for more workers, but meanwhile, it has been great to meet and work with those who opened their hearts to reach out in service.
The word volunteer brings all sorts of things to mind. I spent most of my life as a farm wife and mother, only working on a job occasionally, and now writing a column for the newspaper. When my children were small I stayed home to care for them, but when they got older and went to school, I became a volunteer.
When I think back to the different groups I belonged to, and volunteered with, it is a little mind boggling. I am not sure where I got all that energy, but I do know that I enjoyed all of the people I met, and learned a lot along the way.
I may not have a college education, but I am a member of Shawano County Home and Community Education, formerly known as the Extension Homemakers. I was a club officer and county officer in the past. I was a planner of spring events. I have read to the children at Head Start, and I worked in the brat stand at Charlie’s Country store, raising funds to purchase books for the kids.
I certainly have had plenty of opportunities to teach children through 4-H, being a co-founder and general leader of Tiger Tribe 4-H. I loved working with the children on plays for the drama fest and music for the music festival. I enjoyed teaching them about photography and clothing, and together we worked on recycling newspaper. I even loved the softball teams we had. Although I have retired as an active club leader, I do still help out at the Shawano County Fair. Look for me in the crops and soils building.
Church and volunteering kind of go together, at least for me. I used to teach the kids at Vacation Bible School, Saturday School, Wednesday School and Sunday School. Some years my own kids were in my class, and they knew I would be toughest on them. The last couple of years I taught, I had my one of my granddaughters in my class, so then I knew it was time to retire and let the mothers take over.
I used to be a volunteer at the Tigerton grade school and at the middle school. It was a joy to spend time with those students who needed a little extra time with someone to listen to their reading, or whatever they needed help with.
The thing with volunteers is they don’t always get the recognition that they so well deserve. So many do so much, and most of us are blissfully unaware that this was done by a volunteer.
How often do I forget to say thank you? I think those words are not used nearly enough. So I want to take this time to say thank you to all volunteers everywhere. The world would not be the same without you.
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