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“Be a light. Reach out every day to share your inner spirit to
plant hope, faith, and love.” Author Ardath Rodale. |
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Please click on photos below. |
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Making a Difference as a Life-Long Volunteer
Studies show if you volunteer at least one hour a
week, you will be healthier, live longer and feel younger. Wow, a
drug-free fountain-of-youth sounded good to me. I signed up to be a
volunteer community leader about 30 years ago.
As a now life-long leader, I
volunteered and earned award recognition from several important local
and state business groups over the years. In 1989, the U.S. Small
Business Administration awarded me their Advocate of the Year Award in
recognition of my contributions to strengthen small business. Other
non-profits I have worked with include humane societies, animal rescue
groups, aviation, historic preservation, heritage tourism, and breast
cancer prevention organizations. One aspect of volunteering, I
thoroughly enjoy is fund raising.
| The first rule of
raising money for charity is, “You have to ask…and, always ask
for more than you are expecting the donor to give." Secondly,
tell the potential donor how the money will be used to make a
difference. The third rule is to thank and recognize the donor’s
contribution. Be sure to keep in touch with them about the
difference their support is making. |
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When you make your decision
to volunteer, my advice is to start small with a one-time event. This
will help you decide if this is the cause and the organization which is
the right fit for you and your talent, energy and time. If you like to
knit, volunteer to make a hat for our soldiers in
Afghanistan
or a baby blanket for your homeless shelter. If dogs are your favorite
furry friend, offer to walk a dog from the animal shelter in the local
charity fun walk. As a book lover, volunteer to read a favorite
children’s book for library story hour. You can even use puppets for
visual impact. Better yet, dress up as a character from the book. You
will have fun and so with the excited girls and boys.
We all have special skills. Use them to build your community and your
life
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