The gift of one's time is perhaps the most prized gift there is. To gift your personal time is to give something you can never get back. Understanding that, and still choosing to volunteer, is extremely praiseworthy and is a deeply selfless act that we are so grateful for. There are myriad other things you can do with your time. There are myriad things you are supposed to do with your time. While we find ourselves temporarily restricted from going to certain places, we still put tons of pressure on ourselves to be doing things. Whether it be working a little bit longer because there's no commute, cooking dinner because eating out is less of an option or out-of-the-question, or pressuring ourselves to learn something new or read something new because we supposedly 'have the time' in our new (but feeling very old) COVID schedules. With all this weighing on us, to think that we choose to volunteer is miraculous. To all our volunteers: Thank you, you are miracle workers.
Boxes of food, Easter baskets, the sound of leaves being neatly raked into piles, the smell of fresh spring air. These are some of the sights and sounds we take with us from National Volunteer Month, a month to celebrate volunteerism and reflect on the impact each volunteer makes. Through 4 specifically designed events, spanning across all four of our counties, about 40 volunteers contributed over 80 hours of service to their community. These efforts resulted in hundreds of families fed in Chatham, Bryan, and beyond, over 50 young children in Liberty having a fun surprise on Easter morning, and a revitalized visitation house for CASA Ogeechee Effingham County. These volunteers brought peace of mind to families struggling to get by, brought joy to kids, and brought comfort to a place that really feels like home in Guyton. The tangible and intangible impacts of volunteering reverberate across the community, creating a home we can be truly proud of.
Let's not rest on our laurels, though; there continues to be work that we need your help with! Be sure to check out the 'Needs' page to find agencies that need your help! And looking beyond May and into June, be on the lookout for our United Way Day of Action. This year we want to really set strong roots in each of our four counties that will grow into a meaningful and helpful long-term project. Stay tuned!
