With my friend Virginia and her son , Tom , in Salem , Oregon . Together we published newsletters , websites , and historical walking tours . They are two of the most inspiring people I know !
Photo by Tom Green , Jr .
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television station . But , of course , it wasn ’ t only directing — no volunteer gig ever stops with one task ! I set up lights and operated cameras , created graphics , and learned to run audio . I was paid in free food and incredible friendships : the pinnacle of any volunteer experience . Although I moved away , that film-review program still airs , more than 20 years old and always produced entirely by volunteers !
There have been so many ways to find fulfillment by giving of my time . I spent a couple of years weeding out invasive plants at a desert preserve in Idaho , and I tended to a school farm during the summer breaks . I helped found a charter school , and I swung a hammer for Habitat for Humanity .
I joined the board of my neighborhood association and became deeply involved in community activism and organizing fundraising events . I also edited our neighborhood magazine and led a delightful team of 50 volunteer deliverers . And , in a lesson of involuntary volunteering , my kid also dropped off publications door to door — just like I had as a child !
When I moved to Hamburg , I transferred what I ’ ve learned from those experiences to the American Women ’ s Club of Hamburg , where I am honored to co-edit the magazine and create the newsletter , serve on the board , and help with events . I ’ m eager to contribute even more in 2023 .
I recognize that I have often had the privilege of time to devote to these various community groups . But I was also trained — at a young age — to make it a priority , and to find a way to contribute to my own community and make life just a little bit nicer for those around me . I ’ m happy I can keep doing that together with all of you .
22 Special Theme : Volunteering