Young Volunteers Bring Excitement

Submitted by: Glen Barton
VP of US Field Operations
Fuller Center for Housing

Recently, I saw a registration come in for the 2011 Millard Fuller Legacy Build from a young lady I had met for the first time at the Derby City Build in Louisville. “Great I said to myself. She is hooked.” While young folks volunteer for our builds, they are a small percentage of our regulars. We need young folks like this young lady to continue the Millard Legacy of building with the poor. 

The young lady has found out for herself what so many of our volunteers have discovered—“We get more out of helping others than we put into our effort.” I watched Larry King interviewing President Jimmy Carter. Larry asked President Carter why he still did the Habitat thing. President Carter said because of what I get out of it. Wow, I thought. Here the former leader of the free world and founder of the Carter Peace Center, volunteers for the same reason as our regular volunteers. Yes, he volunteers because he knows his involvement will encourage others. But I must also believe he is enjoying and benefiting from his efforts. Just like the young lady, even a former president receives God’s benefits from helping others.

We couldn’t succeed without volunteers. New and young volunteers excite me because they are our future. With volunteers like Tonya Strahler our future will be bright and those we serve will have hope. Come and bring some excitement to the 2011 Millard Fuller Legacy Build by volunteering.

 

 

 

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