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Service
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Open
your Hearts and Share your Spirit-
A
Volunteer Fair
By
Rikki Osborne with “tofu'ing up”
(beefing up!) by Carl McColman
In the wake of September's tragedies, many asked, “How can I help?” According to Rick Cohen of Nonprofit Quarterly, Americans rose to the challenge by donating more than 700 million dollars to disaster and relief funds following the terrorist attacks. Even in the face of disaster and tragedy, our society responded with the energies of giving and sharing, revealing our true spiritual strength. However, while our support of relief work related to September 11 has been a commendable display of altruism, there has been a hidden downside. In recent months, many essential nonprofit groups whose work is not related to disaster relief have watched their donations and volunteering take a nosedive. Now is a time not only for supporting efforts to heal our nation's wounds, but also a time to make our entire community stronger by volunteering, even in ways not directly related to last year's tragedy. Most
Americans want to do more to help their
communities and causes they believe
in, but we often feel that, short of
financial donations, we have nothing
else to offer. This misconception can
cripple people into non-action. After
all, each of us feels overwhelmed by
time constraints, family obligations,
or simply a sense of not knowing about
what it means to volunteer, or where
best to put our energies. With information
comes knowledge, however, and with knowledge
comes the power to make a difference
in the world. Here's some good news:
Last year alone, nearly 109 million
people volunteered their talents and
time to nonprofit organizations around
the country. This is a time of letting
our individual voices and talents be
heard as we heal our country together,
piece by piece and deed by deed. If
you haven't ever volunteered your
energy to a cause, now may be the time
to do so.
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