They may be annoyances that cluster on grassy fields and golf courses, mostly known for their prodigious production of slippery, nasty matter that ends up on our shoes, but when they fly in the sky, there is a beauty to their formation and number. There are valuable lessons we can learn from Canada geese, including this one that comes from philanthropic consultant Jerold Panas, the author of “The Fundraising Habits of Supremely Successful Boards:”
When a goose flaps its wings, it creates an “uplift” for the bird following. By flying in a V formation, the whole flock adds 71 percent more to its flying range than if each bird flew alone.##M:[more]##
The lesson is that when people in a group work together, when they share a common purpose, commitment and passion for the organization, they can get where they are going more quickly and more successfully because they are traveling on the thrust of one another. I am reminded of all the good people who work together on the board of the Cranbury-Plainsboro Little League and out on the fields about town (see story, page 19), as well as everyone else who gives their time and dedication to making our stay at this stop along our life’s journey as full and rewarding as possible.
When the lead goose gets tired, it rotates back into the formation. Another bird takes its place at the point position.
We are like geese flying together toward a common destination. Everyone understands that it’s important to take turns leading and following, sometimes to deal with sheer tiredness, at other times to receive a fresh injection of new ideas and energy.
Just what is the value of a volunteer’s time? There is one tangible measure researched by the Independent Sector that issues a report annually called Giving and Volunteering in the United States. This is an estimate that helps acknowledge the millions of people across the country who dedicate their time, talents, and energy to making a difference. The most recent value of a volunteer’s time is estimated at just about $19 an hour nationally, and in New Jersey, about $22 an hour. However, there is no measuring stick that can define the depth of the heart and the goodwill that pours from within, so the true answer comes from that credit card commercial: it’s priceless.
Why do people give so much? I think part of the answer lies in Jeffrey Frain’s observations about the people who help out with our community’s baseball and softball teams: we become involved initially to improve the quality of the experience — whatever it may be — for our own children, and then along the way, we see how much we can impact the experience of all the children, not just in the here and now, but for a lifetime.
That helps explain the actions of people around town I have gotten to know over the years who first became involved when their own children played and still remain involved even though their children have aged out of the programs. They are people like Terry Thomas, who coaches Wildcats football and Cranbury-Plainsboro Little League baseball, Bob Chirumbolo, who still serves as president of the WWP Wildcats football organization, and Bill Persons, who is a divisional vice president of the Cranbury Plainsboro Little League. They are people like Ron Riemann, who continued coaching Wildcats football even while his own, son, Jeff moved up to play at the high school level.
It takes a huge amount of selflessness and dedication to do what they do. On one level I think they’re nuts and I mean that in the nicest way, only because I think I am more selfish about my time where my children are not involved. On another more important level, these amazing people and others like them have my deepest gratitude.
People volunteer for all different reasons. Over the last year and a half I’ve been working with a whole new group of volunteers — the people who work in hospitals around the state of New Jersey. They give their time to comfort the sick and recovering, they help raise money to keep the hospitals going, they have become voices of advocacy and education at a time when health care dollars are shrinking and too many people have no health insurance or access to proper medical care.
As with all groups, there is great power in numbers, and hospital auxiliary members and volunteers are realizing the impact their collective voices can have on the shaping of healthcare policy in areas such as charity care, Medicare reimbursements and the general health of hospitals around our state. These are issues that are taking center stage nationally as well, as our presidential candidates debate a national health insurance program.
A shocking number, nearly one in six people, many of them young children, do not have health insurance. There is a lot of work to be done to make proper health care coverage available to all as it should be in this wealthy country of ours, and much of the heavy lifting will be done by volunteers.
The week of April 27-May 3 has been dedicated to honor the work of our nation’s volunteers and Monday, April 28, is designated as National Healthcare Volunteer Day. This will be a good time to think about the impact volunteers have had on your own lives, and how much you can impact someone else’s life by giving your valuable time and expertise.
A generous heart, kind speech, and a life of service and compassion are the things which renew humanity.
— The Buddha
