Volunteering - A Way of Life

This Covid-19 Pandemic has had a devastating impact on so many individuals, families, and businesses. With so many people hurting, it gives me an even greater drive to make a difference through service. A life time ago when I was 22 and had just graduated college, I was filled with excitement about the road ahead.  I had a job teaching math and technology, and I was on my way to becoming a football coach.  That was my dream, and the world was mine to conquer.  I had a few dollars in my pocket and a new car.  Things were too good to even think they might change, and I couldn’t wait to take on each new challenge.  Fate, however, had other plans, and my life was turned upside down one rainy afternoon by a 71-year old drunk driver.

Before my accident, I gave little thought to the community around me.  I was too busy being full of myself.  Too busy starting out on my new career, too busy dreaming of becoming a head football coach, and too busy simply engaging in all the things young men dream about.  After my accident, I became busy with other things.  I was busy recovering from surgeries.  I was busy learning how to use a wheelchair.  What I didn’t know is that I was also busy learning all the things volunteers, my church, my family, and my community did to support me.  That understanding came more slowly, but over time it became part of who I am and the man I would become.

People volunteered to raise funds for my medical expenses.  People volunteered to do things at my home.  People volunteered to spend time with me and take me on excursions.  It seemed like there was an army of volunteers pitching in to help me get my life back.  And while I was grateful throughout, it has taken almost a decade for me to realize just how important all these people really were to me.  They did what they did out of love.  They were not seeking reward or recognition.  They were not seeking anything for themselves other than the knowledge that their help was needed, and they would answer the call.  With almost a decade in the rear view mirror, I now understand what volunteering is all about, and it has become a core part of my life.

Volunteering means knowing you can make a difference.  Volunteering means engaging with your community and extending yourself beyond your direct personal interest.  Volunteering sometimes means giving tough love, and it always means giving encouragement.  Volunteering means knowing you have something you can offer to people who need it, and then doing the practical things to make it happen.  In the past few years, my volunteering has meant mentoring people who met with sudden and life-threatening disabilities like spinal cord injuries.  It has also meant speaking countless times before high school and college groups about personal responsibility and the risks of drinking and driving.  What I also learned is that volunteering filled me with a joy I hadn’t fully understood.  It has meant making a difference in somebody’s life, even if I didn’t always know who that person was.  Mostly volunteering has meant being part of something bigger than myself. 

According to Volunteering Matters, in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s important to identify new ways to make sure amazing volunteers can keep supporting their communities. There are also other incentives, like making your efforts count by calculating your service hours through Reward Volunteers hosted by Cabot Creamery Cooperative.

 

I don’t mean to preach, but we can all find the time to contribute.  We just have to make it a priority.  The rewards come back tenfold, and the feeling of self satisfaction can’t be matched.  Every community needs our support, and it just seems right to give a little back in recognition of all the good things we get.

Have a great week.

 Dwight Owens