A backstory

One thing I've learned about writing this blog is...well...I'm really bad at writing this blog.  I've dabbled over the last few months, but a new volunteer opportunity has opened the flood gates of ideas...ideas I want to share.  So, let me begin by going back.

I hope the purpose of this blog will be to share concepts, commiserate with others, and (the honest reason we all volunteer) to make our world a better place.  OK, that last one's a little cliche, but come on...you know it's true. I guess someone might want to know just what volunteer roles I've played.  So, read on if you want to know if I have any street-cred in this volunteering thing, if you want to see if any of my ideas might apply to you (hey, steal away on the ideas...that's why I'm sharing, after all!), or if you're just looking to kill time (and, really, isn't that a little part of why we all read blogs anyway?!?).

I've served on the Board of Directors for two community orchestras, a children's theater program, an arts council, a historic preservation commission, and a downtown community center.  I've held pretty much every office in a social service organization over the last ten years, including president.  One of my greatest joys (and the reason for consuming lots of Sudefed, Advil, and coffee before and during meetings...and an occasional glass of wine after the meetings) has been leading a group of Girl Scouts who are now in line for their Gold Award.

The bar-none, absolutely most important work I've done has been in my daughter's schools.  Best advice given to me for volunteering in a school:  working in the library because you see every child and every teacher.  So I did, and have for eight years plus was Literacy chair (how I became a librarian wannabe!). I've been student and teacher appreciation chairs, ran fundraisers and a dance, and was a two-term PTO president.  I've served on two Political Action Committees (my only foray into the political arena) for referendums for operating funds for our public schools (one lost, the recent one succeeded).  That was the most heart-wrenching volunteer work I've ever done...you need to have a backbone of steel to stick your neck into politics, even school politics.

The more nontraditional school volunteer role I've had was a result of the first, lost referendum.  A "gang of seven" moms with communication experience took it upon ourselves to improve the school district's image.  Not PR spin, mind you, it was getting the good news out there that was not getting to stakeholders.  My role continues today working with and vetting social media that can help parents and students as well as our little community to understand modern public education.

OK, so that's my last 15 years of working without getting paid.  When the community needs you, who needs to get paid for all this stuff....