Giving and sharing
“Sharing is sometimes more demanding than giving.”
Most people have sacrificed their own desires to help or support those in need. This was an international phenomenon following the tsunami in Indonesia and Katrina crisis in New Orleans. Churches, towns, nonprofit and for-profit organizations, groups, and individuals sent funds. Physicians and nurses left their communities to volunteer. The awareness of how fortunate most of us are to have a home, bed, electricity, food, and shelter rekindled our gratitude for the things we so often take for granted.
The experience of sharing takes on a more personal definition when the donation is time and talent that results in creating relationships. Hardworking, dedicated volunteers are the core of needed—sometimes invisible—services that make life work for millions of people with limited support from family, friends, or neighbors. These volunteers deliver meals to older adults isolated in their homes, visit schools weekly to read with a challenged learner, and serve meals regularly to people living in homeless shelters. Unlike writing a check, this kind of gift takes a consistent, personal commitment to prioritize the needs of others over our own.
As we approach the season of giving with a heightened awareness of the vast needs around us, both local and national, it is an ideal time to take a personal inventory of the talents, skills, knowledge, and love we can make available to others. Sharing on an ongoing basis is more demanding and challenging than the one-time annual gift or the weekly donation to our place of worship.
Touchmark communities offer many opportunities for residents, staff, and families to participate in volunteer programs and services within our community as well as with our neighbors and organizations. There are also opportunities for volunteers from the area to participate in programs and services planned and scheduled in the Life Enrichment/Wellness program. To become a volunteer, visit our Web site or give us a call to find out what opportunities are available that make a difference in the quality of life—for both the givers and receivers.
© 2007 Touchmark