Take a moment to thank a volunteer

By Jamie Rieger

Bow Island and Foremost paid tribute to their hard-working volunteers this weekend, with evenings of good food and great entertainment for those who give of themselves to keep our communities humming along.
These are annual events in these two small towns where volunteers donate their time and efforts to keeping our residents safe with volunteer fire departments, making sure the people have food in their bellies by keeping the shelves well-stocked at the local food bank, keeping our kids active by coaching minor sports, or by being a good corporate citizen by supplying grass-roots sports teams with jerseys.
Dignitaries, such as mayor Gordon Reynolds, MP Glen Motz, and county councilor Joan Hughson were just a few of the community leaders who showed their appreciation by serving dessert and beverages and clearing the tables following the meal. It was their way to say thank-you to the volunteers.
“Our volunteers continue to be the thread that holds the fabric of our communities together,” Motz told the crowd at the supper in Foremost on Friday evening. “I am thankful to those of you who give so tirelessly of yourselves.”
Being National Volunteer Appreciation Week in Canada (April 23-29), this is a good time to recognize and show appreciation for all of the wonderful volunteers who dedicate their time and efforts for making our towns better places to live.
If it wasn’t for our volunteers, think about all the events and programs we would not have.
Silently and often, humbly, they are behind the scenes working hard on their next event and project and doing it without expecting a thank-you from anybody.
A lot of them will even tell you that they don’t do it for the accolades, they do it because they love their communities. (I have heard this from more than one dedicated volunteer.)
Despite their modesty, this would be a really good time for everybody to take a moment to thank a local volunteer. They’ve worked hard. They deserve it.

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