There was a time when I was away from my home, Holliday Park, for many hours a day. I had no idea what occurred there while I was at work or asleep. I knew that I lived in a well-kept complex that was usually peaceful, quiet, and very, very economical. I was also aware that this lifestyle was an unmerited blessing in my life.

One day I made a decision to become as supportive as my time and energy would allow. I became a volunteer, like many before me and alongside of me, had done. I then learned how economically dependent Holliday Park is on its volunteers. Think of paying an employee to do the work that our volunteers do, and imagine the rent/carrying charges that would have to be raised to meet a larger payroll, when instead, our own volunteers charge nothing at all.

Everyday, including weekends, volunteers work to maintain safety, good citizenship, cleanliness and order at Holliday Park.

• At certain times of the year, when the Status Quo needs to be published (quarterly,) or when elections are held; or during the summer months when the Grounds Committee and Pool Group, work to make the Co-op beautiful and to give every member their pool and guest passes that are requested, the weekly volunteer hours skyrocket.

• Monday after Monday, “breakfast-preparers” faithfully take responsibility for a nice social gathering that others can regularly attend and enjoy.

• The Night Patrols work every evening, all year long. The Community  Watch Program is kept going by teams of volunteers who forego a few hours of sleep three or four times a year, to keep our complex one of the safest places in Westland.

• The Membership Committee meets for ongoing business to approve new applicants; and attend to membership requests, census form updates, and other necessary clerical tasks, often several times a month.

• Valiant Bin Workers do a basic and often unappreciated task that keeps Holliday Park clean.

• Many responsibilities are handled all year long by the Building and Grounds Committee, who help keep Holliday Park looking its best.

• The Traffic & Safety Committee does a great job in all 27 lots, to find solutions to any and all Parking Lot issues.

• There are also Social Clubs which are run by volunteers to add so much spirit to our community. These include the following clubs: Movie, Golf, Koffee Klutch, a variety of Card Games, Bowling, Tennis, Dominoes, Bunco, Book Club and Travel.

• A small group of volunteers prepare the clubhouse for the Annual Volunteer Dinner, which grows larger, and takes more preparation every year.

• The Welcome Group coordinates the greeting of every new neighbor by assigning a designee to each Parking Lot, and alerting them when someone is about to join us.

• Other members serve on adhoc Work Groups whenever a special need for help arises, and the Board has a special task that needs some extra assistance.

Who are our Volunteers? They are people like you. Maybe YOU are a volunteer where you live. As volunteers we do the best we can, sometimes blundering just a little bit, or having to seek directions from others; but always working for the good of all of us in this special community of caring people. The mutual respect that has been gained by all of our volunteers, is earned and appreciated; and, because we are an “all for one” neighborhood, special warmth of spirit is always present as we interact.

Our volunteers prove their value to the cooperative each time they give service or express interest in the needs and activities that are taking place. The one qualification required for these jobs is an optimistic attitude. In the act of volunteering, you, the giver are enriched as much as the receiver. Everyone’s day has exactly the same number of hours; yet volunteers seem to find extra time. ACTIONS speak louder than words – or dollars!!

We hope that YOU will be a volunteer when you become a member of our cooperative.

This entry was posted on Friday, December 26th, 2008 at 7:53 pm and is filed under Holliday Park. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.