No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted. - Aesop

Who does not remember Aesop's story about the mouse and the lion?  The lion caught the mouse and was going to eat him.  The mouse begged for his life and told the lion that he might someday need his help.  The lion just laughed.  How was that little bitty mouse going to help him?  He got his answer sooner than he expected.  Caught in a hunter's net, his courage, sharp teeth and claws could not save him.  Along came the little bitty mouse.  He gnawed through the net and set the lion free.  Moral - no matter who you are, you can make a difference.

Anthropologist Margaret Mead was asked one time, "What is the first sign you look for, to tell you of an ancient civilization?"  Thinking it would be pottery, tools or an article of clothing, Margaret said a healed femur bone. The femur is the large bone in the leg.  She went on to explain that when someone breaks their leg, they are completely helpless.  They must rely on others for food, shelter and safety.  A healed femur shows that a person was taken care of instead of being abandoned.  A difference made in the life of another.

The mouse volunteered to help the lion, the people involved in the ancient civilization volunteered to help an injured person.  Small task or large volunteers make a difference. 

Volunteering is a part of the fabric of the United States.  Our parents and theirs and theirs before all raised families, earned a living and made their community better by lending a hand.  They volunteered for altruistic reasons, for social interaction, to have personal needs met, for personal fulfillment, to share their talents and knowledge and because they were asked. 

April 15, 2012 through April 21, 2012 is National Volunteer Week.  A time to honor all volunteers.  Those who read to children, who deliver meals, who serve in their faith community, who build homes, who transport, who coach youth sports, who visit or call others, who entertain, who distribute food, who serve on boards and committees, who work hotlines, who clean up parks and so many more.  No one person can solve the our communities' problems, what we do as individual volunteers does make a difference.

Thank You to Volunteers - Author Unknown

Thanks to our volunteers

For advocates who care and speakers with a flair

Important calls and free for alls

We know that you are there

We thank you so much

Thanks to our Volunteers

You really saved the day and we are here to say

The jobs you did, we cannot kid are worth more than you are paid

We thank you so much

Many’s the time that we needed you and many’s the time that we’ll heed you

We took a poll and we agree you are just the best, above the rest,

So, thanks to our volunteers

We love you short and tall, we love you one and all

A finer bunch, we have a hunch you really could not call

Awfully glad we found you

We thank you so very much.

--Silvia Comfort is the RSVP Program Coordinator serving DeWitt County.