Volunteers - Thank You - April 13, 2016
At our April 4 meeting we proclaimed April 10 – 16 to be National Volunteer Week and since this Council Corner will come out that week, I wanted to focus on the importance of volunteers to our City and to our community as a whole.
One of the great things about Foster City is our volunteers. Our residents and our business are passionate about their life here and they become a part of providing that life for others and helping us focus on the future by volunteering.
Among the more visible volunteers are those that volunteer with our Parks and Rec Department. Some serve on the Parks and Rec Committee but others work on programming and events, others collect money to support programs. The FCPD has a long standing volunteer program, with some volunteers having served for more than twenty years. On the other side of police work, we have the Explorer’s program where our youth volunteer to learn police work on a hands-on basis.
The largest group of volunteers works with our Fire Department in our CERT program. That not only requires time on an ongoing basis but each member had to attend training classes that spanned over a number of weeks. Each of these individuals regularly participates in emergency preparedness and helps all of us by being vigilant and prepared in the event of an emergency.
The youth of Foster City are great volunteers. They volunteer through the YAC – Youth Advisory Committee – which runs programs for other youth throughout the year. The Interact Clubs of San Mateo High School and Bowditch Middle School along with the Leos of Hillsdale High also do volunteer work supporting out community. The Scouts, Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts are also highly visible volunteers supporting our community. They along with the people who volunteer through their religious organizations, offer indirect ways to volunteer and support our community.
In addition to these more visible volunteers, we have volunteers that help us in areas such as financial services and information technology, doing detailed reviews of information and providing advice on changes we should make and new developments we should research. The concept of “it takes a village” is no more evident anywhere than it is in Foster City. It is beyond any doubt that it is one of the things that make Foster City a great place to live, work and play.
As we move towards the future, volunteering will become even more important as we tackle the issues that a more mature city must face as its infrastructure ages, so I write this not only to say thank you, but to issue a challenge to those of you that have not yet volunteered to do so. I, like many others, often feel that our State and Federal government does not listen to us. Whether that is reality or perception, it should be neither with local government and you can not only be heard, but be part of the decision making process if you volunteer and get involved. Make 2016 the year you made a difference in your community. Find something you’re passionate about with Foster City and volunteer to get involved in how its run, or how it should be run. Join the team and be a volunteer.
As always, the best way to reach me is email cbronitsky@fostercity.org.
