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Volunteerism; The Art of Giving Back

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Volunteerism; The Art of Giving Back

Volunteerism; The Art of Giving Back

Editor: “Volunteering is an optional and freely chosen act of an individual or group giving their time and labor, for community service.” Wikipedia

D.S. Mitchell

Down Home
I smiled as I pulled a copy of the Daily Courier, our hometown newspaper, from its delivery tube at the curbside. On the front page was a great picture of four volunteers and a terrific article titled, “Volunteers clear 7 mile Taylor Creek Trail West of Grants Pass.” According to the report more than 30 volunteers mobilized by SOTA (Southern Oregon Trail Alliance), Motorcycle Riders Association, the Rogue Valley Mountain Bike Association and the Siskiyou Mountain Club, worked from January to May” of  2026, to clear the entirety of the 7 mile trail. The trail is a key link to more than 40 miles of single track trails that make up the Briggs Valley Trail network.
Chainsaw and  in Hand
After the Klondike and Taylor Creek wildfires in 2018 devastated the much beloved Briggs Valley Trail system many area folks wrote off  the area, but volunteers said, a loud ‘Hell, NO!’ For the Trail restoration project funding was obtained largely from Travel Oregon, a group that promotes tourism and outdoor recreation in the state. A total of 560 volunteer hours were enlisted for the project. The volunteers converged over four work days with crews ranging from 14 to 25 people each day chain-sawing through downed trees, cutting back vegetation with hedge trimmers and loppers, reshaping trails with shovels, and raking rocks and debris off the path. The volunteers restored this beautiful area to a “better than before” condition, despite difficult weather and dense regrowth. This is the power of volunteerism in dramatic action.
The Foundation
Volunteerism is the foundation of civic involvement a driving force in social action. You can become part of something bigger than yourself by volunteering your time, energy, and  knowledge to help your friends, neighbors and community.  I know many people are working two jobs to keep gas in the rig, but so are a lot of other people. “Give and ye shall receive,” was a mantra at my childhood home. My dad helped neighbors with handy man assistance when he wasn’t working, his real job. My mom owned a popular diner on N.W. St. Helens Rd, in Portland, OR. So, as you can imagine, she was busy. She played fry cook 4 days a week and manager/bookkeeper/entrepreneur the other three days of the week. But, mom; just like my dad freely gave their time, energy, and skills to improve the condition of their neighbors, community, and the city at large. Understanding the scope and impact of giving back involves examining several key aspects of volunteerism.
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Types of Volunteerism:
  • The Informal Volunteer: Unorganized random acts of kindness that help friends and neighbors to improve the local environment. Can be as simple as cleaning up a neighbors driveway, mowing a lawn, or cutting back some brush. Better yet, organize a neighborhood cleanup and get everybody to join in the effort. For the disabled Vietnam vet living down the street, get a crew together and go down (with permission, of course) and fix what needs fixing, or find someone that can fix it. Informal volunteering has a lot of networking that goes with it. You find out fast who to call for most any task. 
  • The Formal Volunteer: Individual people performing tasks through established nonprofits, schools, or government agencies such as mentoring students or hospital reception. I volunteered one school year as school nurse for my local elementary school when I was pregnant with my son.
  • The Corporate Volunteer: Staff are supported by the employer, usually by providing VTO (paid time off) or organizing public service group days.
  • The Skill-Based Volunteer: A professional, such as an attorney; providing legal support for non-profits, pro bono for those in financial distress, and related services.

Experts Describe Three Tangible Reasons People Volunteer:
  • Local Impact: Volunteers enjoy seeing the fruits of their labor close up-solving community needs, ending food insecurity, housing the homeless, making strides in environmental conservation. Instant gratification or at least the possibility of it.
  • Personal Growth: Volunteers learn new skills, develop networking strategies, great experience for any resume.
  • Health Benefits: According to research “volunteering can reduce stress, foster social connections, and promote overall mental and physical well-being.”

Be a Bernie or an AOC 

Now that I ‘ve pointed out the huge impact volunteerism can have on a neighborhood, on a country, and the individual volunteers themselves; I’m issuing a call for volunteers. This democracy needs the energetic, the smart, and those committed to small d democracy and the progressivism of Bernie Sanders, AOC, Elizabeth Warren, and Zohran Mamdani if we are going to save ourselves from the oligarchs. There was a time when the government taxed these high income earners. There was a time when immigrants were welcome It wasn’t that long ago when labor unions delivered good wages and health and dental insurance coverage to their members. But, those were different times.

Robert’s Supreme Court and Donald Trump

Today we have a Supreme Court that is purely partisan. No doubt about it. The Roberts court is no longer a court, but an unelected legislative body, making up laws on some imagined redrawing of American justice. We need to bring a halt to this untethered Supreme court that has given Donald Trump unparalleled power. power that he is abusing every single day. The Trump administration and this supreme court are trying to end our democracy and set up a dictatorship and We need ethics reform, term limits, expansion of the court and prosecution of those justices found to be taking bribes and favors.

  • The Political Volunteer (activist): Figure out what you stand for and volunteer for the candidate that best reflects your needs. Knock on doors,  help the local Democratic party with donated money, manual labor, the gamut-‘a where you are most needed situation’. Volunteer to help at the local election office. Hell, if you think you can bring change; run for office.

Be A Political Activist

It is important for a tsunami of progressive reps and senators to be elected in the 2026 midterms. We need to flip the House and the Senate if we are going to bring this court to heel and Trump removed or squashed until removed. We need Democrats to defend and expand  social security, Medicaid, Medicare, voting rights, vote by mail, income equality, fair housing, child care, maternity leave, and a host of issues that make life livable.