Volunteers Welcome

No one has ever become poor by giving. ~Anne Frank

Cristina Gonzalez, Chair of the Charter for Compassion's Board of Trustees, and I were on a webinar last week with one of our Charter partners, Peaceful Tomorrows. Some of you may recall this group as the September 11th Families for Peaceful Tomorrows. It was formed when a small group of family members of those killed on 9/11 became connected after reading each other's pleas "for nonviolent and reasoned responses to the terrorist attacks." Several of these individuals met one another when they participated in the "Walk for Healing and Peace" from Washington, D.C. to New York City in late 2001, organized by Kathy Kelly of Voices in the Wilderness (later known as Voices for Creative Nonviolence).

In last week's webinar, Rev. Dianne Hudder, whose brother was one of the 9/11 victims, recalled her visit to ground zero, on October 13th, together with her husband and daughter. She related the trauma of the moment and the strength of her husband holding her up as they walked. Her daughter was immediately behind her and as she experienced her own sorrow, she realized that her daughter may well need help in walking this path. At the very moment that Dianne turned her head to see her daughter, the volunteer who was walking with them, turned, and held Dianne's daughter's hand. One small act of compassion.

I told Dianne I wanted to share this story, because it not only illustrates compassion, but the important role of a volunteer who is not only a guide to a destination, but the responder along the pathway. Volunteerism must be a two-way street for it to work.

The Charter for Compassion exists because of the direct involvement and contributions of volunteers. We need interested folks to join our sector teams: art, business, education, environment, gender partnerships, healthcare, peace, religion/interfaith/spirituality for the Earth (RISE), social justice, social services, restorative justice, and science and research. If you wonder what some of the possibilities are, we have a survey for you to fill out. It will give you a holistic view of the needs and opportunities available for you to be a compassion guide.

Eleanor Roosevelt remarked that "since you get more joy out of giving joy to others, you should put a good deal of thought into the happiness that you are able to give." I'm not going to paint a totally rosy picture about giving and being a volunteer, but there certainly is a tremendous amount of satisfaction in being an integral part of an organization that works for compassion.

with warm regards,

Marilyn 

This message from Marilyn Turkovich, Executive Director of the Charter for Compassion, appeared in our 04/27/2021 weekly newsletter. To sign up for our newsletter, scroll all the way down to this page's bottom menu, enter your email address and click on subscribe.