The following is a letter submitted by Georgian Triangle Humane Society's executive director Sonya Reichel for National Volunteer Week. CollingwoodToday.ca welcomes letters to the editor. They can be sent to [email protected].
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Dear Volunteers,
It is National Volunteer Week and it is the perfect excuse to share with you how much you inspire me and how humbled I am by your capacity for compassion. And, how awestruck I feel to work with you.
The truth about this pandemic is that it is scary. The future is unknown. Our vitality feels vulnerable. We live each day wondering if we have inadvertently contracted the virus – the virus that is devastating so many lives in our world. So many lives in our immediate community.
However, what I have been thinking lately is that there is a secondary outcome to COVID-19. This outcome is a re-commitment to what is most important to us in life. An understanding that it is our impact in this world that counts the most. Our impact is potentially all that matters.
During this pandemic, I have felt a strong and profound empathy for local businesses, community members, parents, seniors and frontline workers that are shouldering a heavy weight every day. For so many, the daily grind is real. For so many, the loss is truly profound.
So, when I take a moment to write on National Volunteer Week, the strongest message I want to send is I salute you. You are making an impact – and honestly, what more can we ask to do in the world, during such a critical time in our lives, than to make an impact where and when it absolutely matters most.
To thank you is not enough.
For the heart, for the hours, for the uncountable unsung moments where you have gone above and beyond, I truly salute you. I rejoice in the knowledge that we have literally hundreds of team members that are banding together to ensure that no pet is left behind. To do whatever it takes to provide comfort. To illustrate unwavering compassion and empathy during a time that the smallest act of kindness can make the largest difference.
So, dear volunteers, thank you so much for choosing to be a part of the team. I cannot truly say what we, or the world, would do without you.
Take care and stay safe,
Sonya
