Your Community Needs You (but you need your community too!)

When was the last time you did something for your community that you weren't getting paid to do? Maybe you volunteered at an event, helped a neighbor, coached your kiddo’s team, or picked up trash at a park.

Or maybe you just thought about doing one of those things... I get it. Life is busy.

I've been thinking about this a lot lately because, as of July 1, I became President of the Rotary Club of Newberg (Second time actually…shout out to my Ski Town USA Rotary Club) And while I'm excited about the opportunity to lead our club, I've also been thinking about what it really means to give back to the community we call home.

We often talk about volunteering as something we do for other people…and that's certainly true. But here's the part we don't talk about enough:

Your community needs you. But you need your community, too.

There is something that happens when you stop simply being a resident of a community and start becoming involved in it people you might never have met otherwise. You make connections and discover talents you didn't know you had. You learn about organizations and causes that matter. You develop friendships.

And, sometimes, you laugh so hard you forget you're technically volunteering.

Which brings me to one of my favorite things about Rotary.

Most people are familiar with Rotary's famous Four-Way Test:

1.         Is it the TRUTH?

2.         Is it FAIR to all concerned?

3.         Will it build GOODWILL and BETTER FRIENDSHIPS?

4.         Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned?

Those are pretty good questions. But recently  Rotary added a fifth question:

Is it FUN?

I love that!!! Because doing good doesn't have to mean being serious all the time.

In fact, I would argue that volunteering should be fun.

Community service can be a great way to spend a Saturday morning with friends. It can be a chance to meet new people. It can involve music, food, and laughter

It can be work. But it can also be joyful work.

And I think that's important because we don't want people to look at volunteering as one more obligation on an already crowded calendar.

We want people to look at it and think: "That sounds like something I'd enjoy being part of."

Leadership Isn't a Title

This is where volunteering and leadership intersect.

We sometimes think of leadership as something that comes with a title: President, CEO, Director...yadda, yadda, yadda.

But some of the best leaders I've ever met don't have a title at all.

They're the people who see something that needs to be done and say, "I'll help."

They're the people who bring other people along.

They show up and they contribute and are encouraging and motivating.

In essence they make things better, and to me that's real leadership. (And you don't need a title to start doing it.)

Maybe that's Rotary or a local nonprofit. Perhaps it's your kid's school or your favorite community event. It doesn't have to be a huge commitment. You don't have to save the world...just start with your little corner of it.

Give an hour. Bring a friend. Try something new. Show up. (Reach out to me…I have ideas!)

And here's the funny thing, you may start by volunteering because you think you're going to help someone else. But along the way, you might discover that you are the one who benefits. When you find your people, you feel more connected. The result is that you become invested in the place where you live.

That's one of the things I love about Rotary. Our reach is global, but our impact can be incredibly local. We can talk about changing the world and then spend a Saturday morning making our own little piece of it better.

And maybe, just maybe we'll have a pretty good time while we're doing it!

So, What Are You Waiting For?

Here's my challenge:

Do something for your community this month that you don't have to do.

• Don't worry about whether it's big enough.

• Don't worry about whether anyone notices.

• And, for heaven's sake, don't forget to have some fun.

If you're not sure where to start, reach out to me.

Seriously.

Maybe you're looking for a way to volunteer. Maybe you're interested in Rotary. Maybe you're a business owner who wants your team to get more involved in the community. Or maybe you simply have an idea and don't know who to call.

Call me.

Send me a message.

Let's talk.

I may not have the perfect answer, but I probably know someone who does.

Because that's what community is all about.

Connecting people who care with opportunities to make a difference.

Your community needs you.

And you might just discover that you need your community, too.