Volunteering your time in the Tri Cities- Following Obama's Call to Action!

Not since President Kennedy have we citizens in this country heard a call of service to others above self from our leadership. One of Jack Kennedy's sustaining legacies was the association of the Peace Corps and his name.

The past 8 years our country can hardly have been looked upon by the outside world as shining beacon of service and self-sacrifice. And that's too bad, because we've always risen to the occasion. I remember the huge outpouring of help in the aftermath of the 2004 tsunami in Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Thailand. Over a quarter-million were killed and over 10 million made homeless.

Tri City local radio station's DJ's were spending their entire morning shows raising money for the relief efforts, we sent hundreds of volunteers to those areas hardest hit. Within days, the US sent $35 million, not including direct aid provided by naval vessels and aircraft drops.

Yes, we've always risen to the occasion when natural disasters occur. But we've not been nearly as generous of our time and money at the local community level. Organizations are always short of volunteers, and with the ailing economy they've had funds seriously reduced at a time when their services are needed at an increased level. This situation is a serious conflict.

This past week, our country celebrated a new hope with the incoming of a new administration under President Barack Obama. His inaugural speech on January 20th contained a call to service that many missed in the emotional pull of the rest of the message. Nevertheless, a call of volunteerism it was.

"What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility - a recognition, on the part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation, and the world, duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character, than giving our all to a difficult task."

Please visit my "Volunteering Opportunities" page to see listings of local Tri City, Washington organizations that need your time. A couple of hours per month out of our life is a very small sacrifice on our part, but results in two things; people in need are helped and we get a feeling of satisfaction that's hard to duplicate in any other manner.