A Scribe’ Musings: Part 4:
To volunteer to do something is to offer to help someone else or a group of people, as an unpaid worker or assistant. You come forward, on your own initiative, or step up, to give of your own time, energy, talents to assist or support others.
Volunteering is at the heart of the concept of altruism, being selfless (the opposite of selfish), acting out of concern for others. One acts because one wants others to be happy, fed, sheltered, clothed warmly and in some cases, provided with a companion, to alleviate loneliness or to assist with learning or property maintenance.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, rates of volunteerism have fallen precipitously, in the midst of an already growing trend in the reduction of hours volunteered in Canada and in North America. There are several obvious reasons for this decline. We have been afraid, quite justifiably; afraid to go out into public spaces, to meet with others, to gather in groups, to meet face to face on someone’s doorstep, to leave the relative safety of our own homes. Covid-19 and health mandates have required and encouraged us to do so, to in effect become loners and isolated, in order to help others. This provided us with a true paradox: reaching out to help others had suddenly become a threat and a danger in and of itself!
Many pre-existing social connections were severed, for months and months at a time: schools, churches, workplaces, concerts, dances, restaurants and virtually every place where people would gather and socialize, were locked down. We were locked out. We were angry, frustrated, and isolated, no one more so than those most in need of a helping hand.
How can we, and why should we, step up now and in future months to volunteer? I will discuss why first, and then attempt to provide a variety of ways and organizations through which we can reach out anew to our fellow citizens.
Who benefits when we volunteer? Everyone!! The recipients receive multiple benefits, ranging from physical and health benefits provided by the physical goods provided: food, shelter, clothing, and mobility, to the emotional, psychological, and physical sustenance created by our acts of giving and supporting. A smile evokes a smile, and happiness from being with or communicating with others will always brighten a person’s day. Acts of kindness create a warm glow of appreciation for both giver and receiver; chatting with another stimulates the mind and the heart. Taking someone for a short walk in their wheelchair, beside them while they walk, reading stories with or to them, listening to music, and so on, all stimulate positive physical and hormonal reactions, which are indeed contagious!
Possible break here if needed, to make Parts 1 and 2.
We can volunteer individually, or through some existing organization that organizes volunteers and their efforts. We can help our neighbours by shovelling snow, raking, and bagging leaves, painting a fence, dropping off a meal or pie. When it is allowed and safe to do so, we can visit for a chat over coffee and treats. We can drive others to medical and other appointments, pick up groceries or prescriptions, sew masks or knit toques and mittens, or share news about the local community. The shutdowns have cut us off from so many things, one that is overlooked is the lack of sharing of local knowledge: in Rodney we have several new business owners, employees, and products. People may not know about these, or about the reconstruction of our main streets, or that several citizens have passed away, or are ill, or have moved to another location. Who are those new people in the white house down the street? The currency of life in a small or large town is local information, and recent experience tells me that people are indeed very hungry for such knowledge, not just as gossip, but as part of the fabric that connects us all and gives us a sense of true belonging – a feeling that has been annihilated by the pandemic. Knowing helps people to feel that they are a part of something larger than their apartment or house. We can phone, we can text or email, we can stand on someone’s porch to check in on how they are doing and thereby brighten their day.
I cannot possibly list all of the organizations in our community with which we might volunteer, but hope to be able to write about all of the service organizations in our community in the coming months. Volunteer for a service club: Kiwanis, Lions, Optimists, Knights of Columbus, the Caring Cupboard, Meals on Wheels, the foundation boards for many organizations vital to our community: Four Counties Hospital, the West Elgin Community Health Centre, seniors’ homes, the Daffodil Society, church organizations, when allowed again: reading buddies in elementary schools, seniors’ homes, hospitals and with isolated people who are elderly or who are isolated owing to physical limitations. There are so many, many possibilities! If you are curious and/or interested, make a few phone calls, contact a service club to see what their projects are or will be in the coming year. Enrich your community and in doing so, enrich yourself!!
Larry Schneider is a retired teacher, secondary school administrator, and United Church minister, who has lived and worked in this area for 37 years. You can reach him at larschnr@gmail.com.