By Rob Weys
Published: April 2, 2015
SQUAMISH is home to a wide array of talented and passionate people. It is also a very active community with many associations, clubs, societies, sports groups, foundations, and charities which provide much need activities and services.
These groups are often overlooked or taken for granted, yet if they were to disappear people would notice. They are organized and run by community-minded individuals who, by default or passion, have given up precious time for others.
They are the elders handing out food at schools in the morning to kids in need. Or volunteers organizing never-ending trail maintenance throughout the surrounding forest. They coach kids in the cold rain on a Saturday morning, or hit the ice at the crack of dawn. Some spend the evening after a long day at work, teaching kids to throw or hit their first baseball. Caring souls visit and assist the seniors who helped build this community.
Many constantly look for ways to feed those that live day by day. Some groups spend endless hours meeting and planning events to raise money to support these other groups who support individuals. Playgrounds are funded by Pac’s and parents. Eagles are watched and counted every day with anticipation. Streams are kept and trains are painted and polished. Some groups sell cookies, Christmas trees, popcorn, or meat on a bun. Bottles are collected and sorted on any given Sunday.
The amount of hours cannot me counted or appreciated in terms of value to the community. For a small town wedged in mountains on the shores of Howe Sound, the number of people who step up to volunteer is amazing. Some of these people you will never meet or know, others are your friends and neighbours. A few are pioneers and leaders of the Squamish past.
You benefit from what they do, and they make the town you live in more enjoyable and possible. They will never ask for thanks or gratitude, but they deserve it. They do it because they care, they see the need, or want a better community. Many volunteer, coach, or participate to give back to the community that provided to them in the past.
Most people who volunteer do so because they know this is what it means to be part of a community. So I would like you to look around in your daily busy lives, and notice these community members. Ask yourself what your community would be without them. Are you one of these community volunteers? If you aren’t, you should be. There is no reason why you cannot step up and give back. Or at least donate more, thank more, and help out when you can. In the end, you will feel better about your community.
You may find many reasons not to volunteer, but there are more reasons why you should!
Billy says
I agree with the spirit of what you say; but I have a little nag that in some cases volunteers are in fact taking jobs from the work force; that we should step up and pay our proper level of taxes to fund these jobs and not rely on the goodness of some to subsidize our tax bill .