We are here today to express our appreciation for our volunteers. We have 51 volunteers in our Home Visitor, Vet to Vet, Senior Companion, AmeriCorps/Respite and errands programs. We are honoring their dedication and years of service this afternoon with certificates that I will be handing out shortly.
In an article, The Origins of the Word, “Volunteer” by Benjamin Paley, he writes:
“Volunteering, and the words that go along with volunteering, have a history that informs today’s volunteers of the importance of the work they are doing.
When people think of volunteers, they think of people taking time out of their day to help their community. Merriam-Webster defines a volunteer as, “A person who voluntarily undertakes or expresses a willingness to undertake a service: such as one who renders a service or takes part in a transaction while having no legal concern or interest.”
The Cambridge Dictionary defines volunteering as an, “Offer to do something that you do not have to do, often without having been asked to do it and/or without expecting payment.”
Paley goes on to say, “as can be seen, the noun, “Volunteer,” has a long history of use. I think that the original Latin noun, meaning will or desire, still has meaning even in today’s uses of the word “volunteer.” It is out of the will or desire of the individual volunteering that many of the important community projects and events occur. The history of volunteering in the United States goes back to the founding of the first volunteer fire station by Benjamin Franklin in the 1700s.
Since then, volunteers have played an important role in American society. And they still play an important role today.”
What stands out for me in this definition is Mr. Paley’s references to “will” and “desire.” I would add to those references the word “compassion.” On a couple of occasions over the past few months, I have gone along with meals on wheels delivery volunteers. These experiences drove home (pun intended) the meaning of volunteering. These drivers clearly exhibit a will and desire to provide sustenance and social enrichment. And they exercise great compassion. They give of their time and effort and resources to deliver meals in all kinds of weather to needy folks, often way out on the back roads of Vermont.
I know that all of you do the same. You give of your time and resources out of a desire to make other’s lives better and out of compassion. I know that you do this without having been asked and without expecting payment. I know you do this out of loving kindness for your fellow Vermonter. And I thank you. I heard recently; the Dali Lama stated that the core natural instinctive state of the human mind is compassion. You all embody that state of mind every day in the compassion you share with others.
Thank you.
