Why do I Volunteer?
Austin Belly Dance Convention 2019
By Rachel Morris
I have been attending The Austin Belly Dance Convention
for nine years. Five of those years I have been a volunteer,
and for the past three of those years, I have had the
pleasure of working with Sahhira (Vendor Manager) as
her vending assistant.
I am often asked why I choose to spend much of my “girl
time weekend” working as a volunteer, and sometimes I
honestly don’t know, because it is, indeed, work. It is work
while others are relaxing at the pool, it is work while others
are shopping, it is work while others are socializing, and it is
work while others are learning.
But then I listen to myself say, “yes, it is work”, but it is
helpful, and it is also very necessary. The ABDC (and many
conventions like it) is built on Volunteer effort. If we did not
have the many helpful hands on deck each and every year,
this event would simply collapse.
Volunteers
Photo courtesy ABDC
Rachel & Other Volunteers
Photo by Mark Broughton
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The Belly Dance Chronicles
January 2020
So maybe my answer to why I volunteer is…because it
is important…
Let me add that I also enjoy meeting all the instructors,
whether I take their classes or not; I love talking with new
and repeat vendors; and each year I get to know Tatianna,
Amara, all the ABDC Staff, and Volunteers, a little better.
The Austin Belly Dance Convention provides the opportunity
for those who may not be able to travel far, the chance to take
workshops with instructors from all over the world, and the
experience of watching live Middle Eastern music and dance
performances from local and international professionals.
It’s kind of like summer camp when you are a kid, only with
wine and sparkly costumes. The convention is filled with:
• Beautiful and talented people who you may meet once, or
• You may get to see many of these each year, or