‘Social Thread’

* Volunteering is the “social thread” that bonds our society. It isn’t about the paycheck or the benefits, but the privilege to be able to serve others in a capacity where the only return is the selfless gratification we get from seeing the joy it brings. However, when the “social thread” begins to fray, its useful purpose ceases to exist.

I have spent many hours volunteering over the years, and all too often I have heard the phrase “We are only volunteers.”

Make no excuse, volunteering can be a thankless job. But if we are volunteering because we expect a pat on the back or we want something done our way, then we are in it for all the wrong reasons.

Our reasons for volunteering are not to cover ourselves in some self-serving smugness, but to serve. It is not to be powerful, but to feel empowered. It is not to be thanked but to be thankful for the opportunity. It is not for want, but to want to give.

Our country is predicated on a foundation of volunteerism--from Molly Pitcher to the USO, from Little League to Sunday school. This “social thread” has the capability of mending the world. We must not underestimate the power of selfless volunteerism, and must always strive to keep in mind why we are there.

ALISA ROSS

Irvine