Volunteers appreciated

Local Content - Editorial

Written by production

Thursday, 11 February 2010 16:28

The annual volunteer appreciation dinners will be taking place this upcoming weekend, in Foremost Friday night and Bow Island Saturday where local volunteers will be honoured with an evening set aside to recognize their contributions to the communities they serve. The truth is many programs would not exist at all if it were not for volunteers. They fill many positions that would remain empty if not for them, from coaching youth sports teams to driving senior citizens to appointments and from setting up a room for a function to handing out hampers at the food bank, they are everywhere, keeping busy by acting on their ideals, helping the community be a better place. According to a recent study, the average wage to pay someone to do the jobs volunteers do is about $20 per hour. You can just imagine how many programs would not exist if they had to have that kind of money available to them in order to get someone to do the work necessary to make them run. There are economic development groups, people who visit the sick at the hospital and those who help out at various health centres doing jobs that would tie up the professionals for hours otherwise. They lead 4-H clubs. They run not for profit organizations. They sit on committees to beautify their towns or to welcome new neighbours or to organization festivals. These people care, and it is a good thing to recognize them and their continued support of the communities they are a part of and make better through their hard work. It is hard to imagine what these communities would look like without volunteers. Certainly many many programs would go by the wayside and rural Alberta would lose much of the characteristics that make it a special and wonderful place to live and raise children. If you are a volunteer, remember to get your ticket for one of these dinners. They are free, but you must reserve your space prior to the event.