Married to the Military: Volunteers
May 11 2009
Those who can, do.
Those who can do more, volunteer.
There was a big tent and enough hot dogs and soft drinks to supply a small city for an undetermined length of time. There were gift certificates, camera flashes, and a constant stream of comfortable chatter among the attendees. The event’s goal was to recognize and show appreciation to the many community volunteers who contributed their time and talents over the course of the past year. It happened last month in my community. I’m certain it happened in some form or fashion in yours, too.
While April has passed us by, we find ourselves in another month, May, in which we can show appreciation to all those in the greater military family.
Such appreciation, often buried in the business of living our day-to-day lives, always is relevant. Because let’s face it. When you take the time to peel back the layers on the subject, you can easily see that, in or out of a military uniform, regardless of the month posted on the calendar, volunteers matter.
Without them, we wouldn’t have an all-volunteer military.
We wouldn’t have coaches guiding our youth in team sports.
We wouldn’t have the welfare and leadership that comes from our spouses clubs and spread throughout the corners of our communities.
We wouldn’t have thrift shops or well-shelved libraries.
We wouldn’t have baggers at the commissary or Girl Scouts selling cookies.
We wouldn’t have PTAs or other parent involvement in school activities.
We wouldn’t have that extra hand where we need it the most.
Definitely not in it for the money, volunteers often are the cornerstones in our communities, making our world a better place for all of us.
Now that is something to appreciate.
About the Author: Janet Farley is author of The Military Spouse’s Complete Guide to Career Success (Impact Publications, 2007) and The Military-to-Civilian Career Transition Guide (Jist, 2004). Visit her Web site at www.janetfarley.com.
