Moscow Food Co-op Healthful ResourcesLatah Community Volunteer Center
by Lisa Cochran, from the May 2002 Newsletter
Recently I spent time visiting with someone I've known my whole life. He had just finished telling me how involved he and his wife have been in their church. He then asked what I had been doing, and I responded by telling him that most of my energies have been spent raising my daughter, working my business as a legal services broker and working in the community as a volunteer.
"Volunteering is such a luxury," he said.
Surprised, I responded, "Volunteering is not a luxury; it's a way of thinking and a way of life."
It is true that values such as volunteering should be considered a normal part of community life. It is also true that all too often, it is the labors of a few that seem to shoulder the bulk of the giving. It puzzles me why the concept of volunteerism is not part of each individual's value system and why parents don't always incorporate it as a normal part of child-rearing, starting at a very young age. Volunteering offers parents the perfect opportunity to promote positive early childhood experiences. Such positive experiences in turn enhance emotional and social growth while boosting self-esteem in our youngest citizens. I strongly believe that an essential component of esteem building in even our very young children comes from the feeling that each one of us has a special contribution to make, that our efforts can and do make a difference. This is referred to as connectedness and is invaluable when it comes to raising children. Volunteering directly promotes this sense, and because of its 'hands-on' quality, kids can really feel like they¹re a part of their community. They feel better about themselves and get a sense of empowerment. Volunteering is a part of raising kids to be adults with a sense of caring, responsibility, integrity and good citizenship. It can also be counted as more of that 'quality time' with our kids we're always searching for. Thus, volunteering has far-reaching outcomes for all involved: the child, the parents and the community.
Volunteering in Latah County is in the process of getting easier, thanks to the extraordinary efforts of a dedicated group of local citizens who have been working since October of 2000. They have created a catalyst for connecting volunteers with community projects and have named it the Latah Community Volunteer Center (LCVC). This center will serve as a county-wide clearing house for volunteers by linking volunteers with projects throughout Latah County. The center's mission will be to connect residents of all ages to service opportunities of all kinds. This partnership will identify community challenges while building on community strengths, and, according to the center's estimates, "15,000 hours of volunteer services will flow through this center when it is operational."
While the Latah Community Volunteer Center is still in the planning stages there are several ways to get involved:
So let's get out there and show how much we care!
Lisa Cochran is a longtime Moscow resident who began volunteering at age
12.
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