Hollenbeck: LEND A HAND
Whether you are at a public function, attending church, visiting a friend in a nursing facility, or watching a youth sporting event, the subject often comes up about the lack of volunteer help. This really hit home this past week while people were preparing for the Memorial Day weekend. I stopped by a local grocery store and encountered a friend setting behind a card table outside the door. She was representing the local Legion Auxiliary selling poppies, an annual fund-raising event of most every legion. I purchased a couple and mentioned how the last time I saw my late brother-in-law was when he was with a group of other disabled veterans at the Ft. Meade hospital. They were gathered around a table, most in wheel chairs, busily making those little poppies. She told me that they (meaning veterans groups) are currently having a difficult time finding enough volunteers willing to lend a hand to make them, which is creating a shortage of them.
When I arrived home, I went through the mail which included the Winner Advocate, our local weekly newspaper. There was the usual articles regarding area graduations, track meets and local matters but there was an article that saddened me. The Winner Cemetery is usually spectacular on Memorial Day with some thousand large flags flanking the many blocks of graves. The article gave notice that the thousand flags would not be on display this year. Why? Because the volunteer group that always worked tirelessly to put them up and take them down (an enormous task) were simply unable to continue due to health and age related matters and there are not enough volunteers willing to step forward and help out.
Today, my husband and I attended a Memorial Day program at the little Sandhills town of Wood Lake, Nebraska. The same scenario was evident. These small towns do not have, nor even want, tax funding and have always relied on volunteers to lend a hand with various civic duties, from mowing grounds at a little league ball field, helping clean a church, calling Bingo at the local senior facility, teaching Bible School and to everything in between.
I am involved with a very worthwhile festival in Valentine, Nebraska, called “Old West Days.” For many years this group had a large number of volunteers plus a twelve-member Board. Now we have six on the board and because we are twisting the arms of some of our friends, are able to function…barely, but have dropped several activities that were featured at many previous events. One of the activities we had to disband was a nice Quilt Show. The local guild that usually manned the show has the same issue with manpower needed to set the show up and dismantle it. A majority of the members are over 70 and they are simply unable to do all the work required. We are not only losing many youth activities, such as 4H clubs, summer Bible Schools, youth ball clubs, summer craft camps, etc., but many adult groups, fraternal organizations, clubs and activities are waning or simply disbanding.
Wouldn’t it be great if everyone took so much as one hour a week to lend a hand in their community? Not only could this be a viable resource to help support the efforts of the various community organizations, but you would be surprised at how little disruption it would make in your life and how good it makes you feel.
