Have you ever attended a senior center? You walk in, and some nice person
greets you. You may choose to participate in an activity. They welcome you into
the group and seem happy that you are there. Your supplies for the activity
appear before you like magic. You start the activity, enjoy your time, make
friends, and plan on attending again.
What you didn’t see was that the greeter took time out of her day to volunteer at
the center for a few hours. The leader of the activity you jumped in on spent her
lunch hour from her job to lead the group. The supplies that seemed to be
hanging around were all donated by a local business owner whose mother
attends the senior center. After you made such a mess of the activity, another
volunteer cleaned the room. It took four volunteers to make that hour-long
activity a joy for you.
But you shouldn’t feel guilty! They loved volunteering their time and resources
because volunteering is fun. It’s not just about giving, but also about the joy and
excitement it brings. Volunteerism is a pretty hot topic around Senior Centers. I
had the pleasure of visiting the center in Strafford after they held their volunteer
appreciation day. I was amazed at the number of dedicated volunteers who
worked hard to make that center such a great place. Two full pages of names, and
hardly anybody did just one job. They each had several responsibilities and shared
responsibilities.
But if you dug a little deeper, they could use more volunteers. They serve
hundreds of people each week. They encounter needs in the community that they
wish they could address but each need requires people to help meet it. We can
help each other. We should help each other. Please contact your local Senior
Center and volunteer on a regular basis. It may only be an hour each week but
your involvement is the only way we can meet the needs of the seniors in our
community. Your contribution is not just a choice, but a responsibility we all
share.
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