Jay Peterson
We all know that volunteerism has been on the rise for several decades in North America. Collecting “community service” hours is now even common in secondary and higher education and in courts of justice. I myself, however, like to believe that participation in hours of volunteer or community service should not be mandated, but should be cheerfully chosen for enriching our lives and those we serve. Volunteer work is life affirming work.
I remember volunteering to clean my primary school’s chalk board erasers—an activity where I recall receiving high praise from teachers and from my parents. Maybe at age eight I was trying to imitate what I witnessed at home. In retrospect, I think it was the particular inner satisfaction I received from this task that constitutes my fondest memory. In any case, the lessons learned at age eight have expanded into some wonderful hours, days, even years as a volunteer who simply tries to help with some needed tasks and service.
The AGO is, of course, one of my primary professional organizations, and we all know that AGO could not exist—indeed would not exist–without the army of volunteers who activate its many programs. Those programs have every opportunity to attain super strength at the local chapter level where we all have the ability to contribute our time and energy and thus make an impact. Strong local AGO programs are something we can achieve, but that achievement requires each of us to find a way to join that “host of volunteers.”
Please go to our chapter’s excellent website at www.northshoreago.org and find something to do that tweaks your own particular volunteer spirit. It can be a ton of fun, it can bring a feeling of contented fulfillment, and it can provide a service that’s vitally important.
Jay Peterson, North Shore Chapter Treasurer