Staff Writer - Katrin Callender
I really did! Mariah Carey couldn’t belt it with more feeling than I can now. And it wasn’t for just one guy. There was enough of me to go around to all those who asked. Today was a great day. I volunteered and remembered the glory of similar activities of the past.
Time has not permitted me to be as active as I would love to be as a volunteer with the Trinidad and Tobago Cancer Society. Many of us support causes that personally affect us or that have impacted the lives of people we love. When my mother and I became volunteers, we did so not because we had been personally affected by Cancer, but because we saw an opportunity to do good together.
We did not set out to volunteer, although it had been something we had each considered. No, on the day we joined the Society, we had been carrying on with our lives as usual. Then we got to the mall. We admired the work of the women who had donned their pink tees and come out to the mall on that beautiful Saturday in October 2009. They were not aggressively pursuing passers-by but their energy was such that we were drawn to them. Within minutes we had forms and pens in hand and were signing ourselves up to being our best selves.
Today marks the two year anniversary of the very first event that I ever attended and worked at as a volunteer with the Trinidad and Tobago Cancer Society. In these past two years I have grown and learned a lot about myself. I would never have thought it possible for me to walk up to complete strangers and ask for donations; to offer advice to those concerned about their health; or to promote upcoming TTCS events. Not with my reserved nature. Yet these are some of the things I’ve done in the last two years. Each time, because I cared.
Caring. The word is one that means many things to different people. But I can honestly say that I am inspired by the people who gaze lovingly at the kids who brave their illness and run about at their annual Christmas party casing Santa Claus and just living; or the survivors who stand tall and celebrate the gift of life. I wish everyone could know what I feel as I write to you all. And you can! I encourage every reader to think about the causes that mean something to them, and ask you all to volunteer. It does not matter if you only have one minute or hour or day to spare. Your wholehearted effort can bring such joy to others that it will give you a sense of accomplishment and pride in yourself that many do not know. We are by nature social beings and giving of ourselves proves a rewarding and fulfilling endeavor every time.
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