Our communities, large and small, only work when people are willing to give of their time and money to causes that benefit us all. Don’t get me wrong, capitalism is needed and valued. But sometimes, there’s no monetary profit in the things that are truly, truly important.
In churches and ministries you especially see this at work. We need volunteer Sunday School and Bible study teachers, Vacation Bible School organizers, and the like. About 30 miles from where I live, a mother and daughter team up to organize a VBS. They do most of the decorating on their kitchen tables for months beforehand. They make the marketing materials, enlist helpers, etc. They lead the songs. It’s their thing, and I’m grateful. Most of the kids who show up don’t even go to their church.
And we almost all have Sunday School teachers or youth workers we remember. We tucked away their insights into our hearts and when a tough situation comes along, it gushes up and reminds us of the way.
But in small town America, we are absolutely dependent on people willing to give up part of their lives to make it a better place for everyone to live. Our quality of life depends on it.
In our area, there are several small community-ran theaters that are manned by volunteer workers every weekend. People sign up to run the theater for three nights in a row every quarter or so. My family just shows up for the $5 tickets, and the beyond reasonable costing popcorn.
Other people volunteer at the school. A local pastor reads to the kindergarteners. Other retirees show up once a week to help 1st graders with their reading. Some athletically inclined adults give their time as volunteer coaches. Parents and community members run booster clubs to encourage the students. Hobby photographers capture memories during activities and share their photos freely. Teachers stay after school or show up at the library on the weekends to work one-on-one with students who aren’t even in their own classrooms or school district.
Young moms volunteer their time to get free books delivered into the hands of young children. They fundraise, organize and make it all happen for the greater good. Other moms organize a monthly respite for fellow mothers of preschool children. They bring in speakers, organize childcare, and decorate the day before. They organize garage sales to fund the endeavor.
And then there are the youth organizations like 4-H, FFA, Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, Awana Clubs. They all depend on volunteers showing up to make it work.
Then you have “the boards”. Fair boards, church boards, farm boards, hospice boards, hospital boards, school boards, library boards, other non-profit boards. They do their homework, miss supper and bedtime with the family.
And lest we forget about our volunteer firefighters, ambulance and EMS people who drop everything at a moment’s notice to make sure we continue to have essential services in flyover country.
There’s no way to mention or realize all the different roles people play.
In other realms of life, I realize I depend quite greatly on people donating their time. To writing reviews on Amazon, so I can sort products by customer ratings and order accordingly. Though I rarely ever comment or rate products.
I LOVE Trip Advisor, and rely heavily on their recommendations for where to sleep, eat, etc. But, again, I rarely leave a review like other good people out there who help me out.
I do, however, leave only nearly positive reviews for Uber drivers, so they’ll rate me high and want me to pick me up in an urban center.
All this to say: thank you. Thank you to each and every one of you who make my life better and richer. And my family’s. And our community’s. And my country’s. And our world.
I may not be gifted at knitting little hats for the newborns at the hospital, or teaching 4-H leathercraft or cake decorating, but I know the things I love and do those. It takes all of us using our giftedness and passion to make it work.
From the bottom of my heart, thank you. You are important. And you are impacting our world for generations to come in both small and large ways.
The Farmeress 