Nation’s Volunteer Week

By Diane Forrest

As I was sitting in church on Sunday, I was reading over the list of the activities for the week.  Saturday they are asking for volunteers to meet and help out people in the community.  Things they normally do are small repairs on homes, yard work, housework, or any type of thing that needs doing.

My mother frequently volunteers in many areas.  She works each week at the local hospital, she volunteers at the children's home, and she can also be found at the church working in many areas.  She helps with the television crew, library, nursery, and helps when there is a death in the church family.  My father also does alot of volunteer work, working at Habitat, Rotary; he has served on probably every committee in town, and with the Boy Scouts.  He can also be found lending his hand at the church and other civic events.

I like to volunteer as much as I can, although I’m not in the same league as my parents, I do help at church, and with the children's home, and frequently help with the elderly at church.

Volunteers give their time, energy, and even own money to help their fellow man.  They don't expect anything in return, but today I would like to ask you to give them something.  They need and deserve your thanks and gratitude for a job well done.

This week we are celebrating the nation's volunteers, so don’t forget to give them praise, and if you don't know anyone who volunteers their time, then why not take a couple of hours out of your day to volunteer in your community?

World Red Cross Day

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By Diane Forrest, RN

This time last year we had seen some major catastrophes in the form of tornados and floods.  This year we have been fortunate. The storms our country has encountered have not been as sever, in fact, even the winter storms this year have been mild.  People have been able to relax, take a breath and rebuild from past storms.  The ones who have not been able to relax are the volunteers at the Red Cross and Red Crescent Society.  These volunteers work around the clock, and around the globe helping those in need.

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World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day dates back to1922. At that time, the Czechoslovakia Red Cross National Society proclaimed a three-day truce at Easter to promote peace. The goal is to recognize one day every year to advocate for the relief of human suffering from disease, and the humanity of seeing a world free from suffering due to war.

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The Red Cross idea was born in 1859, when Henry Dunant, a young Swiss man, came upon the scene of a bloody battle in Solferino, Italy, between the armies of imperial Austria and the Franco-Sardinian alliance. Some 40,000 men lay dead or dying on the battlefield and the wounded were lacking medical attention. Dunant organized local people to bind the soldiers' wounds and to feed and comfort them. On his return, he called for the creation of national relief societies to assist those wounded in war, and pointed the way to the future Geneva Conventions.

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The idea of pooling the skills and resources of Red Cross Societies to provide humanitarian assistance in peacetime, and not just to prepare for relief in times of war, goes back to the founder of the Movement, Geneva businessman Henry Dunant, who was born on May 8.

Ways to celebrate this day include:

• Learn more about the Red Cross
• Support Red Cross programs and efforts
• Send a donation to the Red Cross
• Donate blood today
• Become a Red Cross volunteer
• Thank Red Cross volunteers for their service.

Volunteer Recognition Day

By Diane Forrest

On Easter weekend my church staged an Easter event.  It was really beautiful, with 11 scenes of the events that occurred before during and after the crucifixion of Jesus. Planning for this event began in January.  There were sets to be built, costumes to be made, and stories to be learned.  There were over 200 volunteers dressed in costume to perform the roles; there were volunteers to build the sets, make the costumes, drive the busses and trolleys and to clean the grounds after the production.  The whole weekend went off without a hitch, and was a great success with over 2000 in attendance.

My church is full of volunteers performing duties to keep things functioning, from members keeping the nursery, teaching the classes, singing in the choir and even operating the cameras and sound systems.  Not only do they volunteer inside the church, but in the community as well.  They visit the homebound, make hospital and nursing home visits and even help with home repair for the elderly and widows.

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I have always heard the busier someone is, the more they will do.  I found that to be true.  When I was in school, I not only had my studies, but I also wrote on the school newspaper, was president of the Senior class, was president of my nursing class, was active in church, writing my Sunday school newsletter, playing on the volleyball team, working with the puppet class, singing in choir, and teaching a class on Sunday evenings.  The more I was asked to do, I always managed to find the time somewhere.

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Today is Volunteer Recognition day.  Volunteers don't do what they do for recognition or awards; they are simply filling a need in the community and helping out where they can.  My newspaper has an award ceremony every year recognizing community volunteers.  The section in the paper is called Unsung Heroes.  Both of my parents have won this award.  Names are submitted by folks in the community, so it reaches a wide range of activities.

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If you know someone who volunteers, give them a call; send them a card or email to let them know you appreciate what they do.  If you would like to be a  volunteer, contact places in your community, like your church, area hospitals, children's homes, abused women facilities, or even your local chamber of commerce.  If you still can't find anything, try checking out this place for more ideas at http://www.volunteermatch.org/