April has arrived, and at this time of year, we recognize volunteers. Later this month is National Volunteer Week (April 19 – 25), and on April 28 Meaford’s Community Builder award will be presented during the annual volunteer appreciation event, to be held this year in the Galleries at Meaford Hall.
Where would we be without volunteers? It is a question that I ask often, as there are so many things that volunteers do for our communities, from delivering meals to elderly folks, to picking up trash in our local parks, to organizing a fun event to be enjoyed by all, the work of volunteers surrounds us.
It can be easy to take the hard work of volunteers for granted, and sometimes we might not even be aware that volunteers have been at work behind the scenes, not seeking glory or recognition, but simply getting the job done.
This community is known for its wealth of dedicated volunteers, and one need look no further than the ever popular Scarecrow Invasion & Family Festival to see what can be accomplished by a team of volunteers. Every year hundreds of volunteers make that event happen, and it is enjoyed by our community along with visitors to this community. The Scarecrow Invasion was recognized in 2011 with the June Callwood Outstanding Achievement award for Voluntarism in Ontario.
Volunteers are needed in every community for much more than making events happen of course. We rely on volunteers for a range of services, including driving patients to medical appointments, or to operate food banks, or to undertake community clean-ups. Even our firefighters, though technically paid a small fee for the fires and other emergencies that they attend, are part of a volunteer fire department, as is common in many smaller communities. If you have a skill, or a passion, you can bet that there is an organization in town that could use that skill and passion to help with their initiatives.
For volunteers there is satisfaction to be found in helping out in their community, and it is also a great way to meet and get to know people in your community. If you are new to a community, seeking out volunteer opportunities is a great way to discover the heartbeat of your new home while also making some new friends.
I first moved to Meaford in the autumn of 2005, and the following spring I began volunteering with the Meaford Farmers’ Market, something I continued to do for six years, eventually becoming a part of the market board and market manager. While that volunteer work was valuable to me as it helped to focus on the wisdom of buying our food as locally as possible, it helped bring farmers and other food producers directly to consumers, and it was also a great way to meet people in my new community.
As I wrote in 2018, from the time I moved here in 2005 the volunteering spirit in this community has impressed me.
“There’s something in the water in Meaford that produces fantastic volunteers. I began suspecting so not long after I moved to Meaford more than a dozen years ago,” I wrote back in 2018. “In fact, there is so much volunteer activity in this town that it’s here that I developed a true appreciation for the value of volunteers. Prior to moving here, I had done my share of volunteering – or so I had thought. I had helped out on election campaigns in the ’80s and ’90s, I had taken part in community cleanup initiatives from time to time, but being wrapped up in family and career, the amount of time I had available for volunteering was fairly limited. Once in Meaford, I found the volunteer spirit here to be contagious, and I have been inspired by my friends and neighbours in this town who frequently offer their services for a wide range of initiatives.”
Every now and then a new resident of this municipality contacts me to say hello, and to ask questions about their new home town. Sometimes those questions are related to council, or council-related issues. Other times I am asked about local restaurants, or where to find the best hiking trails. Often a new resident will ask me which local organizations are looking for volunteers, and I often tell folks to pick one of their interests, and they are bound to find a related volunteer opportunity.
In the early days of this newspaper, beginning in 2010, we hosted Meaford’s first Earth Day cleanup, which we undertook at Memorial Park. We did it for more than five years. Dozens of volunteers would join us at the park for the clean-up, followed by some warm apple cider and treats along with some fun conversations among the volunteers. The first year we were finding air conditioners and rolled up carpets hidden in the woods of Memorial Park, but by the fifth year, we were finding very little to collect, as a cleaner park, with annual clean-up events, seemed to have caused folks to think twice before tossing their trash in the woods. During those park clean-up events I met many fantastic folks who enthusiastically gave of their time and energy to help make their community a little bit better. If you ever need some inspiration, spend some time with some volunteers.
Giving back to your community with your time and with your skills helps to build stronger communities, and the time invested is typically as rewarding for the volunteer as it is to the greater community. Without volunteers there would be very few public events to enjoy, there would be nobody to offer compassion and assistance to the homeless, or to those who work hard but are struggling to put food on the table in an era where particularly the lowest wages have not kept pace with inflation for decades.
As mentioned previously, Meaford’s community builder award will be presented on April 28.
As is noted on the municipal website, “The Community Builder Award is presented each year to a local volunteer who has helped shape and promote our community through their work.”
The nomination period for this year’s Community Builder award closed on March 25, and the recipient of the award will be selected by our municipal council; they will present the award on April 28 during Meaford’s volunteer appreciation event at Meaford Hall.
“Above all, this award recognizes those who strive to make the Municipality of Meaford an incredible place to live, work and play,” notes the municipal website.
To all who volunteer in this community, many thanks.
