#52 Stories--Story # 8

In what ways do you sacrifice your time to volunteer in your community? 

 

Most recently, I have taken a bit of a respite.  But this year I hosted a neighborhood cottage meeting to offer information regarding a proposition that was on the ballot this past week.  Prop 3 was poorly written and not responsible in the ways it demanded funding for road repair and upkeep. It would have cut funding--and essentially the availability of other city services including the library, pool, senior center, and Strawberry Days to name a few--to fund 20% of the general city budget directly and solely to roads.

 

I did spend 18 years as a volunteer at the kids' school with the PTA locally.  I served as everything from a room mother to a carnival helper, to a book fair volunteer walking classes & kids up and back from the fair, to PTA president at each of the schools the kids attended--elementary, junior high and high school--to council president to the region board as a member representing our council. 

I served as a the PTA rep on the School Community Council s at the Junior high and high school, and at the elementary as a SCC member.  I served on a district level community committee about the Space Center. I sat on a text book selection committee at the Junior High.

 

In the community generally, I served for three years as a photographer for the Strawberry Days committee, where I attended EVERY event the week of Strawberry Days to record the events on film, and then used those photos for publicity for the following year.

 

I also served as a Swim Team mom for the summer Rec Team in the city.  I mostly served as a the "Bull Pen" wrangler where we lined up the kids in the heats and lanes they were assigned  and then kept them entertained while they had to sit and wait.

 

And there was a season where I sat on a community committee regarding our Public Safety Building proposal.  That was a steep learning curve, but I sure appreciated all the tthe city management and safety personnel did with what they had in place.  I am glad that two ballots later we finally passed a bond to fund a new PSB.

 

Community volunteerism is exhausting but super interesting as well.  I have met wonderful people as I served--especially in PTA. I don't miss the hours I spent doing community service, but I do miss the friends I made in each branch of the community.  It was total worth the effort and stress and worry.