Volunteers Rock!

We live in a day and age where specialists have taken over. Regardless of what field you pursue you will discover that without that grad degree you aren’t going to be able to accomplish much. The reality is that we have created a world where only the experts are able to engage in real life pursuits. I want to bring down this false perception of what really makes the world happen. Yes, I agree that I want my doctor to have gone to med school and know his area of expertise. Yet, the reality is that the person who has volunteered and given of himself or herself in a sacrificial way is much better equipped to make a difference in the world around them.

I know that in doing community or neighborhood transformation work that it will not be the high paid professional that will impact an individual but the volunteer that is desirous of giving back that the world will not stay the same. I know that it is oh so easy to step back and let only those that are deemed qualified to do what seems to be the most important work ahead of us. Yet, I see the real work of transformation takes place in a neighborhood, family or individual it typically happens through an individual who doesn’t have a graduate degree but has chosen to volunteer their time to make a difference in the life of a kid, teen or a senior.

I understand the power of stepping up to be an advocate for someone who isn’t capable of defending themselves or pursuing a better life is one of the most rewarding avenues to pursue. I just filled out a couple of online recommendations for one of my glowing examples of how someone that comes out of tough circumstances is still able to rock the world and go to a Stanford, Yale or Harvard. The reason my teen is able to do this is because of the mom and volunteers around her that helped keep her on track to be the inspirational person she truly is and not allow the circumstances of living in a tough neighborhood to stop her from pursuing excellence.

I will do a community project this week with probably have 60 volunteers. We will do a variety of things from painting 3 houses, handing out more painting flyers, doing a craft time with neighborhood kids and then cooking a lunch for the volunteers and friends of the families that we are helping. What makes this such an awesome event is that you don’t have to be a genius to help out! Anyone can paint the outside of a house, hand out flyers, do crafts or cook hot dogs on the grill. This will impact the lives of a senior, young single mom who is struggling and another family that has faced much hardship in life.

I believe that when we get out of our comfort zone and choose to do something that matters that life will never be the same. I had a situation on Saturday where a couple of new guy friends had volunteered to help a young mom who forgot she had a prior commitment. I quickly asked these guys, who were strangers, if they could still help do something else. They were quick to volunteer and say why not! So I used these new friends to help one of my grandpas who is watching his large carport support post slowly sink into the dirt. This puts his carport in jeopardy where it could eventually collapse.

I told the guys what we needed for supplies and I brought the tools to make this happen. The guys were so great at jumping in to make a couple of new supports and then knocked out the old rotten post that was causing the problem. I had them dig out the old post footing and we replaced it with new concrete with the right support. This took about 1.5 hours and the look on Mr. Cooke’s face was priceless. He had asked me repeatedly over the last year to fix this but I needed a few ‘guy guy’ types to help. So now the work of a couple volunteers had made a huge difference in the life of my friend brother Earl!

It is relatively too easy to abdicate everything to those who are perceived to be experts. The reality for me is that I have a group of elderly neighborhood leaders who totally understand and get the needs of their family, neighbors and friends. Yes, I have done surveys to assess the needs but could have a quick summary from any of them. My hope is that we can see the need for being an advocate for a grandparent or young single and still see the place of the social worker or caseworker that serves a special role. I enjoy pushing many to see that life outside their comfort is the way to live!