The Power of Volunteerism

Greetings Chamber Members,

I am still feeling excited and encouraged after witnessing a massive turnout at the amphitheater in Riverside Park on July 24th for a yacht rock concert. This lead me to want to highlight something specific in this months letter... the power of volunteers. For those who don't know how the free concert in Greenville featuring a Los Angeles based rock band was possible, the charge was lead by a dedicated group of volunteers. 

Starting with the rehabilitation and restoration of the venue itself, the amphitheater, an impassioned group of community members decided to take it upon themselves to "do" while most others just complained. And so, a venue was restored and with that momentum several other projects were completed in the park. But this group of volunteers saw there was more, they needed to draw people back, inspiring a community in remembering what we are capable of and who we are.  So with the arduous work of grant writing, they secured funds to entertain the community and entertain they did.

When a person volunteers they are dedicating the most valuable thing one can give, time. The powerful act of volunteering means a person has decided to give their time to act, create, do... the antithesis of what we often see in our online culture of complain, whine, and gripe. 

The power of volunteerism can also be found in how it changes the person volunteering. Serving others through volunteering often changes your mindset from unappreciation or even apathy to that of gratefulness. 

Our chamber of commerce is made up of many amazing volunteers. From organizations that operate solely on a volunteer base, to our board of directors who volunteer their time in moving our business community forward. I want to give a huge applause and thank you to all of the volunteers who are making powerful changes to our area.

How does your business or organization encourage volunteerism? Do you allow employees volunteer hours as a way to show dedication to giving back to the community you serve? Let me know, I would love to share with our members what you are doing.

Sincerely,
Benjamin Beck, Executive Director