Thanks to all our former, present and future volunteers...

Erma Bombeck will convince you of the magnitude of impact volunteers make: 

“Volunteers are like yachts. No matter where they are, they arouse your curiosity. Who are they? Where do they come from? Why are they here? 

They could stay moored where it's safe and still justify their being, but they choose to cut through the rough waters, ride out storms, and take chances. They have style. They're fiercely independent. If you have to ask how much they cost, you can't afford them.


“Volunteers and yachts have a lot more in common these days. They're both a part of an aristocratic era that is disappearing from the American Scene. They're both a luxury in a world that has become very practical. Day by day, the number of volunteers decreases in this country as more and more of them equate their worth in terms of dollars and cents.


“Three years ago I did a column on volunteers in an effort to point out that they don't contribute to our civilization. They are civilization – at least the only part worth talking about. They are the only human beings on the face of this earth who reflect this nation's compassion unselfishness, caring, patience, need, and just plain loving one another. Their very presence transcends politics, religion, ethnic background, marital status, sexism, even smokers vs. non-smokers.


“Maybe, like the yacht, the volunteer was a luxury. And luxuries are too often taken for granted. One has to wonder. Did we as a nation, remember to say to the volunteers, thank you for our symphony hall. Thank you for the six dialysis machines. Thank you for the hot chocolate at the scout meeting. 

Thanks for reading to the blind. Thanks for knocking on doors in the rain. Thanks for hugging the winners of the Special Olympics. Thanks for pushing the wheelchair into the sun. Thanks for being.
“Did the media stand behind them when they needed a boost? Did the professionals make it a point to tell them they did a good job? Did the recipients of their time and talent even express their gratitude?


“It frightens me, somehow, to imagine what the world would be like without them.”

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