--Guest Post from Diana Karczmarczyk
It is not uncommon for me to spend my free time helping others. Why you may ask? I answer with why not? Was it not John F. Kennedy that said " ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country?" I think President Kennedy also knew that by the sheer act of volunteering and helping others that the rewards from those experiences will help to create better Americans.
We are a nation that is faced with all sorts of plights. Most recently it has been the floods in the Midwest, but we are also facing hunger, homelessness, patients who have run out of money to treat their medical illnesses and the list goes on and on.
The task seems daunting at first..." to serve our nation". But I tell you this..it starts with one step, one act, one simple gesture. The Alexandria Jaycees are a group of common folks who have come together and made a commitment to giving to their community. Of course we are not the only ones. I like to be a part of a group when volunteering because it does make me feel like I am among like minded people but that the effort of the group is even more powerful than my effort alone.
I often get asked, " So, what are you up to this weekend?" My responses vary depending on what the Jaycees have planned or what other volunteer project has reigned my heart and mind in.
I would like to end this by saying that it is never too late to start volunteering. It is also never to early to start. Bring your kids and teach them early what President Kennedy wanted us all to know.
Then, take it one step further and work to understand how your work truely makes an impact. As a guest blogger here I hope to introduce a variety of topics and ways to make a difference. It is not hard to make someone's day. It is not hard to lend a helping hand.
In memory of Tim Russert, I would like to reinforce his personal matra and that was that whenever possible give someone else a helping hand.
Thanks and I hope to see you at a project soon!
