VOLUNTEER - Day of Caring, A Volunteer's Perspective

by Guest Blogger Len Ganduglia
Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber & Day of Caring Volunteer

September 18, 2009 was a glorious day to be outdoors at the Tacoma Nature Center at Snake Lake. The Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber’s Team volunteered to do something outdoors like gardening, but I don’t think any of us expected what eventually transpired.

Terry from the Nature Center was our facilitator and informed us that we would indeed be “trail-blazers”: we would be going to the most northern part of the area and begin a new hiking trail. So, armed with the necessary tools (and a little red wagon to convey them), our trusty band of six (plus Sarah from UWPC) took about a 20-minute hike up the northern rim to a clearing. The next thing we know, Terry pulls out wire clippers and opens a hole in a chain-link fence, leading to a fairly densely overgrown area. Undaunted, with clippers and branch cutters in gloved hands, the Chamber’s intrepid crew managed to clear a path of about 100 feet in less than two hours. After hiking back to the Lodge for lunch, pulling weeds in the shrub nursery afterward seemed literally like “a walk in the park”!

So why did we volunteer? Because the United Way does a lot of good and it’s important for those or us who “have” to “pay it forward”, that is, show that we know we are blessed and to share what we have. In this case, it was time, energy and enthusiasm.

We want others to know that we “got” as good as we “gave”; the level of appreciation from Terry and Sarah was incredibly warm and genuine. We felt we could have done more but they made us feel like world-beaters. Also it was a joy for the members of the Chamber Team to get out and work together and enjoy the camaraderie.

Photo Courtesy of the Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber. Photographer: Christina Kitchens