Celebrating Volunteerism
Volunteering really does make the world go round, for not just the individual giving their time but for those that the time given is affecting. I was always brought up to lend a hand when needed to whoever asks of it as I realized it is always the right thing to do.
I was able to experience that spirit of goodwill during the recent Annual Volunteer Recognition Breakfast for the Salvation Army volunteers. People from all over the Lake and Sumter Counties attended to present checks, receive awards and talk with their fellow goodwill ambassadors.
The financial figures presented at the breakfast were impressive numbers, from the 10,365 hours provided by volunteers for 2009 to the nearly500,000 pounds of food collected for the homeless. The Salvation Armies of Lake and Sumter Counties also helped locals with lodging accommodations, direct assistance and help during the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays.
Corp Officers of The Salvation Army, Majors Tony and Suzanne Barrington, couldn’t contain their joy over all that was accomplished this past year by volunteers and let every volunteer know how important they were to the organization.
The Barringtons also welcomed to speak Whitley Little, a teen who been involved with the youth side of The Salvation Army for a few years. Giving an energetic speech about how she and her faith improved after becoming part of the Salvation Army, Whitley encouraged everyone to do what they could to make a difference in someone’s life. It does more for someone than anything else in life.
A major highlight of the breakfast was the description of the new Salvation Army facility that recently broke ground in Wildwood. The facility will boast bigger accommodations for classes, the soup kitchen and other services of the organization.
As the Salvation Army “marches into the future,” as their current slogan states, the group can be assured that those in the Lake and Sumter Counties will do all they can to help locals and the group make a difference in the spirit of volunteering.
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