A globally recognized teacher instructs students to “ overcome the stain of selfishness in their minds through acts of giving and donation .”
In every walk of life , time is the most valuable commodity to be spent , managed and shared . As we age , we often look back on our lives and analyze how we spent our time and with whom we spent it . Most of us exchange our time at a job for money to pay for goods and services . Depending on the factors in our current societal systems and personal decisions , it can be easy to say , “ I don ’ t have time .”
While we can ’ t create time or even buy more time , we do have the ability to manage our time . According to some of the world ’ s greatest thinkers and religions , we should give our time in charity to help others .
While Stillwater markets itself as “ America ’ s friendliest college town ,” the bedrock of that friendliness is built on a spirit of giving that permeates our culture .
Volunteering your time is the most valuable gift you can give others , with abundant opportunities in and around Stillwater .
Thomas said . “ There was a group of women at the Presbyterian Church here in Stillwater that started it .”
One of those women is Alice Fowler . She recalled the monthly women ’ s meeting at her church in 1972 . She has volunteered her time to deliver hot meals to community members ever since .
“ All the women go and have lunch , and the programs for the year were Strike Hunger ,” Fowler said . “ Whether it was physical hunger , mental hunger , emotional hunger .”
Delivering meals has allowed her to help people she knows and doesn ’ t know . Like when she brought meals to her best friend ’ s dad or the housekeeper at her sorority house . When asked what kept her involved over the decades , she noted that it ’ s an easy one to two hours a week to give .
Being housed within Stillwater Medical Center has allowed the nonprofit to grow to serve over 600 clients weekly .
“ We have a chef , and she cooks and prepares our meals for us every day , “ Thomas said . “ I get calls all the time , ‘ You know , that meal was so good . Thank you
Cosmo Oldenburg has already wrapped up a toy drive motorcycle ride that benefits foster families . Oldenburg starts early , handing out flyers months in advance to biker friends ahead of his November event . He ’ s been doing it for 13 years now .
Oldenburg said he never had a bad Christmas as a child but knows that isn ’ t how it works for a lot of kids . When he first began there were only about six or seven bikers . His ride that runs out of Forman Harley Davidson has grown each year , benefiting more and more families . So much so , that Lions Meadows of Hope has been able to find kids outside of the county who might benefit .
Though Cosmo ’ s Toy Drive has wrapped , people who would like to help could still find ways to donate their time at https :// lionsmoh . org /.
The United Way of Payne County has recorded over 150,000 volunteer hours valued at over $ 2.1 million . Those volunteers have impacted more than 73,000 residents in Payne County . Stillwater Mobile Meals is one partner organization that relies on a fleet of volunteer drivers .
“ We established in 1972 . And in that time , we have served over 830,000 meals to the Stillwater community ,” Director of Stillwater Mobile Meals , Neilly so much .’”
To help recruit the 90 drivers needed to cover 18 delivery routes , Mobile Meals relies on another layer of volunteerism that is popular in Stillwater , civic clubs .
Stillwater Frontier Rotary club members Steven Cundiff and Lisa Lambert shared that organizing members to volunteer as drivers are one of the club ’ s top priorities . Cundiff , a local CPA , has been driving a Mobile Meals route for 35 years .
“ It ’ s a very rewarding experience , and you ’ re filling a need ,” Cundiff said . “ A lot of times , you ’ re the only contact ( they have ) for that day . So you develop a relationship with a lot of them . You always ask , ‘ Do you need anything ?’ We are allowed to do little things like change a light bulb or return a library book .”
Cundiff shared a story of a Mobile Meals client who was a veteran that always had an American flag out in his yard . He could not take the flag down to protect it from the weather , so over time , it became tattered and torn . Volunteers from the Rotary club purchased and presented him with a new flag . It was an example of a touching moment facilitated by the connection created through the simple act of volunteering time to serve another member of the community .
Lambert is retired and has found that volunteer-
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