On Thursday, September 27, 2012, The Whiteside Forum, a Morrison non-partisan non-profit international affairs group, hosted a round-table discussion on “Think Global, Act Local: Volunteerism” in the program room of the Odell Public Library, 307 S. Madison Street, Morrison, IL.
Attending the event were:
- Amber Wood of the Red Cross Gateway Area Chapter
- Stacy Hoffman-Rosalez of the Sauk Valley YWCA
- Kevin Schisler of Rotary
- Kris Bielema and Jillian Mann of Kiwanis
- Flora Stralow of Lions
- Bob Elfline of the Whiteside Forum
- Gerry Elfline of the Morrison Foundation
- Pastor Mike Selburg of Morrison First Presbyterian Church and the Morrison Minister’s Council
- Katie Coates Selburg, Cedar Rapids Chamber of Commerce Volunteer of the Year.
Among this group and our audience many other organizations were also represented. We learned a lot about each other.
Highlights of the event included the history of, and local support for, all of the organizations mentioned. Important points follow.
- It seems that volunteering often falls on the few, and those few do a lot.
- Membership is shrinking in most mainstream churches and service organizations.
- Volunteers come from every age group, sex, and social and economic level.
- Volunteers, for the most part, do not seek reward or recognition.
- Everyone is too busy to get involved, even in things or events they would like to support.
- If you only have a little time to offer, no one will refuse you.
- Training is available and necessary for some volunteer activities, but not all.
- Fundraising is critical to many groups and missions.
- There is a need for better communication between organizations and potential volunteers.
- We all strive to be active and relevant in an ever-more-interconnected world.
Certainly any and all of the people mentioned above would like to hear from you and invite you to join and participate in their activities. There are also many more opportunities to get involved with churches, boards, hobby clubs, youth organizations, and special events here in Morrison.
On Thursday, October 25, The Whiteside Forum will host Morrison Schools Superintendent Suellen Girard. She will address “Think Global, Act Local: Education,” from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. in the program room of the Odell Public Library. We will discuss how to prepare our youth for jobs that don’t even exist yet and the competition from all corners of the globe.
We closed our Volunteer topic with the understanding that we all want to make the world a better place for everyone–for example the Good Samaritan ideal–and the need for active engagement in our community. Everyone who is able should give of their time, talent, and treasure–understanding that the most precious of these is “time.”