Volunteers – The Lifeblood of any Community

Communities, large or small, need a contingent of volunteers to survive & thrive.

Sure, your municipality can increase property taxes to hire more Public Works staff to water the flowers in the park.  Or maybe a group of volunteers can take turns looking after this and maybe pick some weeds while they are there.  The result is a well maintained flower bed, lower property taxes and citizens with a sense of pride and ownership in their community.

The fact is no community can afford to hire people to perform all the services it needs to serve its citizens.  Think of the time spent coaching hockey, soccer or baseball.  Think of the time spent by the local community hall board.  Think of the fundraising the Lions Club or Legion does for community projects.  The number of volunteer hours spent in any community in a year is staggering.  People do this because it’s fun and rewarding, and because it really does contribute to a thriving community.

There is a problem on the horizon though – volunteers are growing older and would like to take a lesser role, but there are few new volunteers stepping up to take these roles on.  People are busier; families are working harder and going several directions for entertainment.  However there is a real need for people to find the time to make the contribution.

In Killam we have found a way to engage all the generations in the community.  In 2009 Killam was recognized as an ACE Community by Alberta Recreation & Parks.  ACE stand for “Active” “Creative” “Engaged” and this local group has certainly been that in the last several months.

The short term project this organization identified was a rebuild of our Heritage Park and in September 2010 over 250 volunteers came out on a Saturday to build horseshoe pits, picnic tables, a new walking trail, a skate/bike park, and an outdoor theatre stage. People of all ages contributed an amazing amount of time, equipment & materials to make this happen.  We proved to ourselves what can happen if people give up a few hours to make a contribution.

The long term benefit is that we have a group of people of all ages participating in the ACE organization.  The group has asked to help update the Town of Killam Municipal Sustainability Plan.  Plans are in the works for Heritage Pk. Phase 2 and for other projects.  This group truly is active, creative and engaged. 

Through projects like this our community is developing future leaders and I think that is very exciting.

Is your community struggling with this issue?

Are you doing your part to volunteer and make a contribution to your community?

Let me know your thoughts.

Cheers,

Bud James