Volunteer Powers! Moapa Valley
By Chris Green
Submitted May 7, 2008
April was National Volunteer Month and, thankfully, you couldn’t turn a page of The Progress without reading about the terrific volunteer spirit in this community. Take any day of any week and think about what goes on, not only in our community, but in the world and how different it would be without the impact of volunteers.
Our valley has a charm that does not go unnoticed as people choose to live here. I can’t help thinking that it is not just the rural atmosphere, but the true community spirit of people working and giving of their time and money to make things better for others that in turn make things better for all. April also was the month that a good person and terrific community activist moved from our valley to live with her daughter. Virginia Powers spent many hours of every day contemplating how she could make her community a better place and spread that on to the rest of the world. Virginia never stopped at just the thought. She spoke about her ideas to everyone, networked with others and took action to make great things happen.
Whether it was Make A Difference Day, the Valley Wide Yard Sale, Senior Health and Happiness issues, or instilling the power of generosity in our youth, Virginia never ceased. Among the many ideas that remained in her plan was a forum that would connect people who expressed a need with a link to answer each need. She knew that many of the needs of others were just a connection away, waiting for the asking. She made this connection called “Little Things” work many years ago and just knew that there was a way to do it here.
With the aid of this newspaper, I would like to offer time and a spot just for that connection. Volunteer Powers! can be a perfect place where groups and individuals can express what it is you or your group is needing. If everyone makes it a habit to read, that need might just be answered through local volunteerism.
Say, you read that a youth group is looking for material to refurbish a home of an elderly neighbor and you have been meaning to clean out your garage – now you have a place to give your extra stuff. Say, you read that a local non-profit group is looking for a person that can take notes or serve on a committee and you call to offer your time and skills or encourage your neighbor who has some time and skills. Say, you see that there is tons of garbage in a wash or an abandoned lot, you write in that you are looking for others or a truck to join in the cleanup effort and you get a call that a scout group was just looking for a service project.
In all my years working within this community, I wish I had a nickel for every time I heard this “I didn’t know you needed such-n-such.” “Why didn’t you ask me for my such-n-such?” “I have extra such-n-such and been looking for a place to give it.”
I suspect it was over 4 years ago that I told Virginia that I would consider taking on this project and it is sad that it was her moving that made me bump it up on my Things to Do list.
So if you are interested in using this forum to either look for an avenue to volunteer, or spread your search for volunteers, please feel free to contact me at chris@mvdsl.com or 398-3016. PLEASE print VOLUNTEER POWERS in the subject line or reference it when you call.
Just how many volunteers does it take to maintain and grow a community? I wonder how many it will take to fill the absence of Virginia Powers. VOLUNTEER POWERS! can be one of the ways that Virginia will remain a POWER in Moapa Valley, a community she surely enjoyed. It pleases me endlessly that she is just a bit away, intent on spreading her understanding of humanity and what it means to be a human on this planet.
Logandale resident Chris Green is a Member of the Moapa Valley Rotary Club, an active member of the MV Community Education Advisory Board, advocate for the MVHS Ag Farm and a tireless volunteer in the community.
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