Happy National Volunteer Week! The past month has certainly been surreal. With Give Kids The World temporarily empty of guests, we’ve been challenged to think of innovative, yet virtual, ways to celebrate this year. It’s been difficult. Not because there aren’t a ton of wonderful things we can and will do… but because it means we won’t be together in-person at the Village. Our volunteers are more than just the heartbeat of Give Kids The World, they’re the lifeblood of our Village family.
Like so many of the Village staff, over the years I’ve had the immense privilege of getting to know and befriend many volunteers. I’ve celebrated the joys and mourned the sorrows with more than I can count. Weddings, divorces, funerals and births, it’s through this roller coaster of life that I’ve been blessed to witness firsthand the strength and passion they have for the mission of Give Kids The World. I continue to stand in awe daily. As a young Entertainment intern new to the Village I remember being welcomed by older, more seasoned volunteers into the volunteer program. Everyone was incredibly kind and gracious, from sharing tips and tricks on how to weekly mount the snow machine on the Castle roof, to how best to calm a crying child during a Kids’ Night Out program (Band-Aids are magical) and even inviting me to spend holidays with their families since my own was far away in Michigan. It seemed unreal that relative strangers could so selflessly care so much, not just for the wish kids of the Village but for their fellow volunteers too. As I’ve since learned, this generosity of spirit and concern for those around them is commonplace for Give Kids The World volunteers. It’s part of who they, who we, are.
Almost two decades on I’m even more overwhelmed by the show of kindness volunteers display. The passion they have for what the Village does is seemingly unparalleled. In 2019, over 19,000 volunteers from different backgrounds and with different motivations for volunteering and from all over the world came together with one simple, common goal… to ensure every moment our wish families’ experience is memorable, every wish expectation met and every child’s heart full of complete and utter joy. They do this by realizing that there are no small moments or unimportant tasks. Firsthand I’ve seen the volunteer who finishes a shift only to hear we had a call-out and offer to stay a few extra hours to help, the family of volunteers who rush to the Village straight after work (or school) even though it means they haven’t had a chance to grab dinner yet, the volunteer who retired from a professional career years, or days, ago but has now committed their time and energy to volunteering. Or the group of volunteers who fundraised all year to buy plane tickets, cover hotel and rental car costs just to volunteer a couple of days and serve wherever there is a need. There are countless examples of altruism and compassion. It’s simply all encompassing. There are so many different categories of people who volunteer at Give Kids The World and every single one has impacted countless lives, my own included. From our volunteers I have learned we shouldn’t just aim to create joy for our wish kids, we should actually live a life of joy.
I cannot wait to welcome you back to the Village once it’s safe again to do so. This is a strange, unfamiliar world we find ourselves in but I know that with volunteers like you the Village will soon be creating new, wonderful memories. Thanks to you, the heartbeat of the Village will resume again and our mission to create happiness will continue.
With a grateful and joyful heart,
Dee Dee
Tags: volunteers ·
