Volunteer Starkville, it can be a call to action or it can be a non-profit organization. For my purposes it’s both, and since we are fully into the New Year, let’s revisit my resolution to actually get off my post-holiday widened rear and do actual volunteering.
Where to start? I was working on an action plan and then as fate would have it on Dec. 26, I got an email from Volunteer Starkville. At first I thought they might have been responding to the volunteering challenge to myself I mentioned before the holidays. Instead they were sending out the standard year-end appeal for donations.
I first learned of Volunteer Starkville and met its director, Jamey Matte, now Jamey Bachman, while I was employed with the city. She was putting together a “Touch-a-Truck” fundraiser at the Starkville Sportsplex. It was a really cool event, but I was skeptical about what they were up to and had no hesitation telling her so.
I thought most people already knew what organization they wanted to volunteer with and this would be just another non-profit that would disperse already scarce resources. I was just plain wrong. That became very clear when I began considering how to fulfill my resolution to volunteer in 2014. I had forgotten about Jamey and her organization’s existence.
So as I began to think about what the options for volunteering were I was not certain where to start. I searched the newspaper and began asking people I knew who were involved in various organizations. Not very efficient, but until I got the email, it seemed like a logical approach. The Volunteer Starkville option makes so much more sense. They act as a clearinghouse for a broad variety of local volunteer service needs, a sort of “volunteermatch.com.”
They have done a good job making the website (www.volunteerstarkville.org) user friendly. There are a variety of options. Several MLK volunteer service day activities are scheduled in January. The good news is the one on Jan. 18 doesn’t conflict with any NFL playoff games. I will be making my first foray into volunteering my time instead of money this month. Since this is an outdoor event, maybe I will get lucky and the weather will cooperate.
Jamey sent me a detailed account of how they have been growing and adding volunteers and organizations to their roster over the past couple of years. At first blush it appears that their services are woefully underused by local non-profits. That’s a shame. Volunteer Starkville does not charge for their services and are funded through the donations of supporters and grants as well as holding annual fundraisers such as the “Touch-a-Truck” event. This should appeal to any and all non-profits.
Currently the organization has 485 registered volunteers on the website; the newsletter lists upcoming date-specific events as well as providing a categorized list of volunteer opportunities. It allows for easy planning for those of us who schedule our time out pretty far in advance.
I fell into the trap of looking through too narrow a lens at an issue that deserved a broader view. I also didn’t do a good job of considering the challenges of matching up skills and needs with availability. Sometimes it requires a personal experience to inform and shape your perspective.
Note to self: When you break out of your comfort zone to try something new you never know what other lessons and opportunities might present themselves. Here is wishing you a new year with lots of non-comfort-zone experiences and interesting lessons and opportunities.
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