Why “V” Still Stands for Victory

It looked like a normal Saturday line-up.

Some activities with the kids, a soccer game, a Boy Scout meeting at the church, and some errands.  At first glance, nothing that suggests a lofty theme or any major personal breakthrough.  But wow, was I wrong.  The day quickly took on a theme, and the message was clear:  volunteers make our society great.

I was asked to attend a Boy Scout merit badge clinic sponsored by our Church.  It was the “Citizenship in the World” merit badge – one that is near and dear to my heart for obvious reasons – so I was happy to talk to the 300+ scouts and their parents who had been invited to the event.

What I saw in action was inspiring.  Foreign Service Officers (something that the DC area has a deep supply of) had volunteered to come talk with Boy Scouts from all over the region to help them learn and meet their merit badge requirements.  Nobody was paying them.  They weren’t going to get any recognition for it.  But they had volunteered, together with the scout leaders, to invest their time and talent in hundreds of young men in order to help open their eyes and minds to a bigger world.

After the speech and a few rushed goodbyes I piled the kids in the minivan and headed off to stop #2.  A friend had recently taken a position with the Obama presidential campaign and had asked her friends to stop-by the opening of the new Obama for America headquarters in our region.  I wanted to be supportive to her in this new endeavor, and thought it would be a great chance to talk to the kids about the upcoming campaign.   We have friends working closely on both the Romney and Obama campaigns, but hadn’t been to a local headquarters.

The experience was invaluable.  We walked into the small, rented office and were immediately greeted by friendly people who talked with my son, asked questions, and explained what goes into a political campaign.  As we were leaving the event and crossing the parking lot back to our minivan, he asked me, “Who pays their campaign people more, Romney or Obama?”  I smiled, knowing full well that this was a loaded question and would have been a huge hit if he had asked it a few minutes earlier .  “They are volunteering,” I explained.  “Most of them do this because they care about America, and want to help their candidate make our country a better place.”

On to round 3.  I took a call in the car from a journalist I have been talking to about a new campaign that we are launching next week at work.  I told her about the big global health issues that the campaign is taking on, but explained that one of the most remarkable aspects of the campaign is that it is being fueled by volunteers – many of them moms – who will never meet the women and children their efforts will benefit.  I caught my kids’ eyes in my rearview mirror as I explained this to the journalist.  “It’s a movement of globally-minded volunteers” I explained.  And as I said it I could see the connection brewing in my son’s mind.

Part 4 of our day started with us late for my son’s soccer game, barely pulling up in time for the warm-up exercises.  The coach is a great guy.  Upbeat, patient (you have to be when you coach young kids!) and fun to be around.  I watched as he, the moms and dads who were volunteering for the game, and a group of friends guided and cheered my son and the team on during the game.  The best part for my son, as I am sure most parents will agree, was the treat at the end.  Orange slices are the norm, but last Saturday some very smart parent distributed juicebars and popsicles to help cool off the kids given the warm weather.

As we wiped off my son’s now-sticky hands (where there was very, very briefly once a juicebar) I asked him, “Why do you think Coach Kevin works so hard with you kids every week?  Is it his job?”

His reply put it all into context.

“No, it’s not his job.  He does it because he is a volunteer, like those other people we met today.  So they don’t pay him.  But I think he also does it because he likes the popsicles.”

Of course he likes the popsicles.  So do I.  And I love the association, the camaraderie, and the sense of involvement I get from volunteering.  Each of these people that touched our lives on Saturday were doing something beyond being part of a club or taking part in an event.  They were part of a culture of giving back that makes our society great.

Our kids are surrounded by volunteers.  From the PTA to Boy Scouts, to Church to neighborhood associations.  The list is long, and their contributions are invaluable.

Volunteers are helping my kids and my community find victories.  I am one of them.  But I realized last Saturday that I need to do a better job of identifying for my kids those moments where it is a volunteer, not a profit or a reward or a prize, that is making something in our society work.  And I need to invite them to be a part of this corps of smart, dedicated people, and make sure that volunteerism is discussed more often in our minivan, at our dinner table, and in our family priorities.