My family and I had the privilege of volunteering to deliver hampers this Christmas for the St Albert Kinettes. It was a highly enjoyable experience, and one I will continue to participate in. While at the delivery depot, I was struck by the sheer volume of volunteers. Volunteers of all shapes and sizes. Young families, old families, teens, seniors, children, businesses and teams, all there with a singular goal of helping their fellow man.
Organized chaos is how I would describe the operation of the depot. This clearly wasn’t their first rodeo. Hampers were assigned, retrieved and loaded onto delivery vehicles with the seamless efficiency Henry Ford would be envious of. A hockey team of young men from St. Albert were there to assist and do much of the heavy lifting, and their enthusiasm was contagious.
The feeling one gets after donating of their time is infinitely more satisfying than monetary donation alone. I could see in my fellow volunteers' faces that they knew that as well. Almost everyone I know donates money to their favourite charities, whether through payroll deduction or regular pledges. However, few of them donate their time to these, or other charities. I often hear that people are too busy, and can’t find the time to actively participate in these noble endeavours. That’s the funny thing about time. “Time can rarely be found, but it can always be made.” I would challenge those of you who haven’t had the privilege of donating their time to give it a try. You won’t be disappointed.
To those of you with means who donate your time and money. Thank you!
To those of you without means who donate your time. Thank you!
To those of you without means who donate your money. Bless you!
Rick Owen, St. Albert
