­­Volunteers power community with dedication, hard work

By Rob Vogt
Without volunteers, many of the community organizations would simply not be able to function.
That is one of the observations made by Holly Gillespie, community outreach coordinator for Claresholm and District Family and Community Support Services.
She points out volunteers run the non-profit organizations in the community.
“We need them,” Gillespie said, adding “volunteers power the community.”
She cites an example in her own life where her children play minor hockey.
“If people didn’t volunteer, our kids wouldn’t be able to do these things,” Gillespie said. “Volunteers bring people together to help out their community.”
For some people, volunteering gives them a sense of purpose and meaning.
Gillespie said seniors, who have retired, can find volunteering makes them feel good about themselves.
“It fulfils them,” she said.
Moreover, Gillespie added that sometimes volunteering can give people, who have retired, the chance to do things they have always wanted to, but could not because they were working.
She has also observed it is important for the next generation to volunteer as well.
These community organizations were created by volunteers, but need new volunteers to sustain them.
“We need volunteers to run them,” Gillespie said. “People need to step up and do it if they want these things to continue.
“Everything that makes a community a community is run by volunteers.”
Volunteers also bring their passion and that can achieve incredible results.
“When you get a group of people passionate about something, you get exciting things,” Gillespie said. “It’s amazing because people are so passionate about what they want to bring to the table.”
She also stresses the many benefits of volunteering.
In a addition to creating a sense of purpose, volunteering may bring out skills a person may not know he or she had.
Volunteering is a chance to meet new people, and spend time with old friends or people they haven’t seen in awhile.
“You’re doing it because you want to do it,” Gillespie said. “You want to be there.”
For young people, there are even more benefits.
Volunteering teaches young people to give back to their community.
It teaches work ethic and responsibility.
They can meet new people, make connections, and gain experience and references for their resumés.
Young volunteers can also bring fresh ideas to the community.
“Volunteers are vitally important,” Gillespie said. “Giving back to your community is so important.”