Why Volunteer?

Do you ever wonder why some people volunteer for everything? And others are not much interested in working for nothing. Maybe it is because you have not yet found your niche. We are all gifted in some manner, we all have likes and dislikes, or things that we are passionate about.

For those of you outside of my local area, this plea will probably not pertain to you.  After being in the "volunteer"business for nearly ten years running a non-profit, we are seriously considering closing the doors of our ministry.  Three people can only be stretched so thin and something as to give.  So I want to tell you what you have to win, or lose, if no one steps up to the plate and helps Twelve Baskets continue on.

We, at Twelve Basket’s Cooperative Ministry, are always seeking for volunteers. If you think volunteering is simply being there on the weekend, sorting through donations and greeting customers, you would be right . . . and wrong. There are so many additional needs that you may have never considered. We need “fix it” people to check out mechanical and electronic goods, organizers who want to help with special events such as the Coat Give-Away, the Harvest Festival, the Community Yard Sale, or float builders for the 4^th of July and Christmas parades. We need media people to advertise special events and make posts on Facebook or put up fliers. Those people who are computer savvy could help with so many things. Or perhaps you feel led to participate as a board member. How about being a financial counselor?   Do you have skills you can share with others?  Many of these things only require a few hours here and there, but all of you are necessary to make things run smoothly.  And yes, it does require a commitment just like a "real" job!

So why volunteer? There are so many reasons! While you will not get paid monetarily, you will gain ever so much from the experience. Young people, volunteer work looks great on your resume. It tells future employers that you care about more than wages, you care about your community, a cause, and people. It shows you are not afraid of hard work. You will gain abilities that will be helpful as you step out into the world. Honing your people skills will take you a long way in life.

Those of you who are retired, you too will gain from helping out. First there is the satisfaction of doing a job, serving your community or aiding someone who has a need. Secondly you will find a whole new set of friends and acquaintances that will enhance your world. And yes, you will learn new skills. Going against the old adage, you “can teach an old dog new tricks”. In fact, as we age, we need to be challenged to learn new things. It keeps us vital.

Some of the many perks of working at Twelve Baskets is the sense of family and community. The work can be hard at times, but there is a venue within the organization that will uniquely fit you and your abilities. Some of you like to be cashiers and greet the public, some like to organize and redecorate, others enjoy doing yard work or the many odds and ends at need to be done each week. Some of you can help from home, others are needed at the store on a regular basis.

The bottom line to any volunteer experience is not what you give, but what you get in return. Over the years we have been blessed beyond measure with your support, your friendship, your abilities, and the fact that you care about others and your community. We would love to share that sense of blessing with more of you. We want to get to know you. It makes our lives richer. Not only our lives, but everyone you come in contact with. We would like you to become part of our family.  

Right now we are accepting applications for two or more managers, as well as additional help.  If you don't volunteer to help, this little store that has supported this community for nearly ten years will close its doors by the first of the year.  And if you think we are "just" a thrift store, you would be so wrong.  One hundred percent of our profits from your generous donations go back into this community.  We not only help individual members of our community, we give out scholarships, we offer warm coats to the community for free, we support our local library, museum, art council, prescription fund, Senior Center, food bank, fire department, Disaster Fund and more.  We offer a place for those with special needs to learn some basic skills such as socialization.  We participate in fund raisers for those who have suffered a major loss.  We offer a safe place for those who are at risk.  They receive love, understanding, and help in any number of ways from personal counseling to financial management to reestablishing their lives.  And you will be prayed for, hugged, listened to, and leave knowing that somebody cares.

Yes, we offer wonderful goods that are donated by our generous community but that is just the tip of the iceberg that is visible to you.  We laugh with you, we cry with you, we support you and care about every little thing in your life that causes you joy or pain.  Do you really want to see us fall by the wayside?  Especially since it would only take a small sacrifice on your part to keep this ministry up and running.

We ask that you consider joining our team.  You will be blessed.  I can promise you that!

Just Writin' on the River Road

Spring has sprung!

Yes it has!  The days are longer, the sun warmer, the fields are greening, the flowers are up.  And I am so ready!  Not only for summer, but for all of the activities that we have in our little village on the river.

The Elmore County Fair Grounds has now become an events center.  So look for many more activities being held there beginning this weekend.  Check out the Sports Show on Saturday and Sunday, March 16th and 17th from 10 to 5.  If you are an outdoorsy person, you will be sure to find something that interests you.  See what is going on at the Elmore County Fairgrounds website.

If you are into sports, Glenns Ferry hosts the Wooden Bat Tournament April 11th through the 13th.  Also the State Baseball Tournament will be here May 16th through the 18th.  Come and watch these young people play ball!

The circus is coming to town!  On April 4th the King Cole Circus will be spreading its tents and bringing out the child in all of us.  Come one, come all!

Easter is always a great time for family gatherings.  There will be special celebrations at a number of the local churches, including sunrise services.  Some even serve breakfast!  Spend this special Sunday, April 21st, honoring the greatest gift ever given to mankind, Jesus Christ.

The High School Junior Rodeo is back!  April 19th and 20th will bring our young cowboys and cowgirls back to Glenns Ferry for some rootin-tootin fun.  These are talented young people always put on a great show.

Father's Day weekend, June 14th and 15th, features the Community Yard Sale and the Elmore County Flea Market.  It is one stop shopping with treasures for everyone.  And it is a great time to visit our local businesses and check out our special little community.

The Old Opry Theatre will open its doors in June for a summer season of mystery and mayhem.  You will love being involved with the cast and maybe even participate in the performance!  They are open every Friday and Saturday evening through August at 7:45 for the performance or 6 pm for dinner and a show.

The Baptist Church offers Vacation Bible School for all the community children June 24th through the 28th.  Send your children for a good time and great learning experience!

The end of June brings the Bob Mullen Golf Tournament for those of you who like to swing a club.

And there will be another, bigger and better, Old Fashioned Fourth of July with a parade, food and fun in the park, and a spectacular fire works display.

And don't miss the Elmore County Fair July 14th through the 20th.  It is a great time to enjoy the talents of our local artists, gardeners, watch the 4-H clubs show their livestock and enjoy the entertainment offered each evening.

Join us in Glenns Ferry for some old fashioned community fun.  You can camp at the Three Island State Park or other RV sites, visit our museums, sample our local fare and shop at our unique businesses.  But above all, participate in our events!  It is a hoot!

Just Writin' on the River Road

Livin' it up in Glenns Ferry

Do you know how proud I am to be a part of this community?  For a "spot in the road" this little town is busier than a jumping bean.

We will celebrate our second community wide Fall Harvest Festival on October 27th.  From the looks of things, it has expanded and grown in just one year.  There are booths for shopping, food to try, a chili cook off, games to play, costume contests, trunk or treat, and so much more!  It is  so heartwarming to see the community step up and participate. Whether you sponsor a booth, provide an

Servers at theThanksgiving dinner.

activity, or just come to spend the day having good time, you will all add to the fun and flavor of the day.

We have another community event coming in November. It is the annual Community Thanksgiving Dinner on November 17^th at the VFW Hall. Each year I watch more and more people take ownership of this event by providing food, setting up and cleaning up, serving, and helping in so many different ways. I love to hear the cacophony of all those voices visiting with each other, enjoying their meal, and reaching out to get to know one another as they fellowship together. This is what our country is about . . . sharing, caring, and reaching out to each other.

Another event that has been going on for a number of years is the annual Coat Give-Away on October 20th. Each year we collect coats, hundreds and hundreds of coats, thanks to the community’s generosity, and give them to anyone who has a need. There are no questions asked, no need to qualify . . . just come and get a coat so you won’t be cold in the winter. Approximately 300 coats are dispersed in our area alone. The rest are passed on to homeless shelters or other entities that can reach

Free coats.

people in need.

And then we have all the activities coming up for the holidays. I would love to see the community organizations step up and participate in the Holiday Light Parade on November 24th as well as the various activities offered by the Dickens Festival which begins December 2nd. You are all needed: whether you participate in one of the many contests, dress up in a period costume, sing carols, attend a tea with Mr. Dickens or enjoy the performance of “A Christmas Carol”.

And add to this list the Fourth of July Celebration, golf tournaments, Community Church services in the park, the Grape Stomp Fest at the winery, crab feeds, the fishing and kayaking, hunting deer and fowl and we are one busy place!

Just look at that list! We are but a small spot on the map with no major employment to speak of, not a lot going for us (if you just look on the outside). So how does this happen? What is it that sparks this community to strive to be something more? Are we different from other places? I don’t think we are

Shoppers at the Harvest Fest.

all that different from people in other areas. There are good, caring people everywhere. Perhaps we are fortunate that we are small and must work together to make things happen. We don’t have a lot of money (which in my opinion is highly over rated), but we have heart!

Because we don’t have major funding, we have to be creative and innovative. How wonderful is that? We all have talents, gifts, abilities, ideas and thoughts. We need each other. By bringing them all together we have created clever and creative ways to make our little community fun and visible to visitors. Are you new to the area? Please join in and throw your ideas into the mix. Nothing is “set in cement” around here, we are in a constant state of growth and expansion. Which is as it should be.

As I have said ever so many times, “If you talk long enough about the possibilities, someone else will catch your enthusiasm, and the dream will happen”. Listen, learn, grow, participate in whatever way you can. Everyone can add to our community to make it special. You are needed. What can you do? How can you help? Just start hanging out with your friends and neighbors and you will find a place that fits you like a glove. If you don’t, maybe it is time for you to step up to the plate and start something new that will enhance our area.

Just writin' on the River Road

Greetings from Idaho

Blog - a website containing a writer’s or group of writers’ own experiences, observations, and opinions. Also having images and links to other sites.

My trees in bloom

Oh, where do I go from here? I have experiences, as well as definite opinions, and I think I am fairly observant, but how do you tie that all together in a one spot. I suspect it is a little like eating an elephant . . . one bite at a time!

For those of you who have followed my column in the newspaper, I think this blog will be more of the same in some ways. I love my community, Idaho in general, and would like the rest of the world to see what I see . . . observation. Just how much do you see when you pass through an area? What do you really know about a place when you live there? How much do you miss because you aren’t looking? There is the obvious . . . and then there is the other stuff.

Having entered the “senior discount” phase several years ago, I do have experience. Experience when it comes to the things I love, experience with the things I never intend to try again, and just experience with living. We all can identify with life in general.

And then there are opinions. I can have an opinion on just about everything. That doesn’t mean I am wise, or educated, or right . . . it just means that I have “a thought” on any number of subjects. And sometimes what I think I know, isn’t really anything I know at all. But we are all entitled to our opinion, be it right or wrong.

My name is Miss June . . . an endearing term that I am coming to appreciate. You will come to know me over time if you follow this blog. Some of it you may like, some not, but I guarantee you will be entertained, perhaps enlightened, learn something, expand your horizons, and hopefully see things in a different light.

My husband of 49 years and I reside on the banks of the Snake River in southern Idaho near a small town called Glenns Ferry. Prior to retiring, we moved over 35 times and resided in six states in the course of following my husband’s career. Once we retired, I went to work. You will hear more about my ventures in upcoming postings. There are many avenues I can venture down in this blog and I will probably hit many of them eventually. To name a few: my community, my businesses, my faith and ministry, my creative and crafty side, reading and writing, family, animals, gardening, theater . . . basically my list is endless.

All of this is a grand experiment for me. I love to write, to create pictures with words. I think in pictures, I read in pictures. So if a book doesn’t create a picture in my mind, it will lose me quickly. I hope, therefore, to create pictures for you to muse over, contemplate, relate to, or find fun and joy in the thoughts and stories.

And then we come to the images and links to other sites part of a blog definition. Please understand that you are talking to the computer illiterate here. As long as this little machine does what I want, when I want, we do very well. When it is smarter than I am, which is often, it is lucky it doesn’t get a knife through its little heart. I have “helpers” on speed dial! So bear with me as I “learn” the stuff I need to make this work. I am pretty sure it is going to involve a lot more than just words on a page.

As I said previously, I wrote a column for the Glenns Ferry Times and Seasons for over two years. Unfortunately, our little paper is no more, but it was fun while it lasted. For those of you interested in back issue articles of “Did You Know”, you can check it out at the Chamber's website.

I am off and running...breaking up cat fights, cleaning up the barrage of gnats that can somehow get through the window screens, making the house presentable for weekend guests.

Just writin’ on the river road!