week 10 I'm Getting Out of the Fen

    Community service in America is not something ordinary people normally do. I cannot speak for the rest of the population, only what I am directly involved in. I personally am involved in four different organizations in my community: The American Legion, and its counterpart for the wives,mothers, sisters, and daughters of vets, The American Legion Ladies Auxilliary, The Piscataquis County Fair Association, and The Shiretown Homecoming Festival (Old home days). The thing that gets me really steamed is that even though some of the names and faces are different amongst the organizations, they are basically the same people, doing the different fundraisers and events to see that the vast majority of the community can enjoy some really fun family events. Without these same people there would be no parades culminating in fireworks on the beach, haunted houses for the public, maple Sunday breakfasts, bingo nights at the hall, or county fairs for our area. Most of these volunteers did not just learn to volunteer overnight. If you talk to them you will find that most of them say they have always volunteered for things, that they grew up watching their parents volunteer, and it is a way of life for them. It began in their homes, and was reinforced in their school and became a way for them to socialize with those of a like mind as adults.
   Learning to volunteer begins at home. Children learn what they live, this has been proven over and over through out generations. If children learn to chip in and do their fair share at home, then they will do it in the community. By making all the family members responsible for the smooth running of the home, the children learn on a most basic necessary level that they are important to their family. Their job is important and their help is important, there for they are important. If we carry that thought out just a bit more, when children see that care and concern for the community are important than they will care about their communities also. Where ever they go in life they will bring their caring with them because it has been taught and then reinforced by the families and friends they grew up with.
   Learning to volunteer is reinforced with the youngsters at local schools. I am glad to see one change in education today, since my time of going to school, is the requirement of community service every year for our students. It is a good start, however the amounts of time required are not enough for the kids to learn how vital their volunteering really is. That being said, it can usually be seen, by the time they are in high school, who the future volunteers of the next generation are going to be; they are usually involved in everything. If not for them volunteering to see that things get done, then there would be no proms, homecomings, pep rallys, and the list can go on and on.
   As a young adult volunteering is a great way to have a change of pace from the work and the routine that you normally do. It creates an outlet for the volunteer to meet people they ordinarily would not have, socialize, and maybe get some on the job training or networking contacts for their future endeavors . There are hospital aides, people to help with shut ins, hotlines to be manned, free legal aid or accounting help is always needed. Towns and counties are increasingly hit with budget shortfalls, having volunteers to help with filing and simple jobs around the town could not be appreciated enough.
   In these worsening economic times it falls to the ordinary guy to do extraordinary things. Learning to do extraordinary things begins in the home, and by way of reinforcement, in the schools, and by choice as a young adults.We all have to pitch in to help our fellow man and learning to do it now when they really need it makes it that much more appreciated when it isn't.