The end of one year and the beginning of a new year often puts the focus on volunteers in our communities.
A number of community organizations honour their volunteers around the holiday season or at the beginning of a new year. These events serve to show appreciation for the service volunteers give to their communities in a wide range of events and programs.
With everything from drivers of a local community bus to those who make it possible for organizations such as agricultural societies, fish and game clubs and chambers of commerce to continue to operate, this is a time of reflection.
A number of organizations hold annual meetings early in the new year, and this affords them the chance to review their achievements over the past year and look ahead to new projects and programs in 2012.
Our communities are rooted in the spirit of volunteerism. Our libraries, museums, schools, clubs and community organizations count on volunteers to remain active. Even emergency services in our communities are still largely operated by volunteers.
While most of the region was enjoying a holiday break, these firefighters and emergency workers were on call and on duty whenever the need arose. As a prime example, firefighters from Coalhurst and Picture Butte spent five hours on the job this past Saturday dealing with a poultry-barn fire.
Hour after hour, day after day, month after month, volunteers give of their time in every community in our region to make sure projects, programs, community events and activities continue to take place.
Without volunteers, minor sports programs would cease to exist, community celebrations would fall by the wayside and even the history of our region would be lost.
There is no limit to the number of volunteer opportunities that exist in our region.
There are school-based programs that require volunteers, there are tutoring opportunities for those seeking to help someone improve their English and there are a never-ending list of community-based organizations that can always use a helping hand.
The year 2012 affords everyone the same opportunity — the chance to make a difference in their community. Everyone can be a volunteer.
There are always opportunities to join clubs and organizations, help out at libraries and museums or even share a unique skill with a new generation of learners.
Being a volunteer, in any capacity big or small, is a rewarding experience. Even if a person has only a few hours to give for a one-time project, their efforts are valued.
There are long-term volunteer opportunities that require a sustained commitment but there are also project-based opportunities to help out with community celebrations or even to help clean-up a local park.
Why not take advantage of the new year and set your sights on becoming a volunteer? There are endless opportunities to become a part of the team, a person who makes a difference in their community instead of sitting back and letting others shoulder the load.
Living in a community brings with it a sense of responsibility. If you want to live in a productive and positive community, you have to be part of the process, you need to give up some of your time to make the community a better place for everyone.