Every year, around the first weekend in May, our local Boys and Girls Club puts on a huge fundraising event. This glitzy over the top affair is called the
Denim and Diamonds Gala
It takes place in our local sporting arena. It’s a sit down dinner for about 500 people. There are both silent and live auctions. A restored vintage car is raffled off, and thousands of dollars are raised to sponsor our local children. Last year, 1342 young people were served at our Boys and Girls Club, providing them with lunches on non-school days, and with over 60,000 healthy after school snacks. They were provided with educational programs and activities, along with positive role models.
But providing those services is not free, and it certainly is not easy. It took a huge contingent of volunteers to make the gala happen. Last Thursday and Friday, I spent hours sitting at a computer, entering attendee information into the computerized auction system. I set up tables, I broke down tables, I packed up silk flowers and centerpieces and organized auction items. And I didn’t work nearly as hard as many who spent night after night down at the club, preparing items for auction, and taking care of a thousand and one tasks that needed doing.
And as I looked around at the event, a great many of the volunteer folks were people my age. Many were fairly recent retirees. I found myself thinking about the folks who have nothing to do in their retirement years, and thought
There is a need for your time, treasures and talent!
All you need to do is ask. Perhaps at your own Boys and Girls Club. Perhaps at a local school. Or maybe you could inquire of your local librarian, who is always in the know about such needs. Maybe you could check out a women’s’ and children’s shelter. No matter what community you hail from, there will always be some group or organization who could benefit from your skill and enthusiasm.
And if you are anything like me, the experience will be one of the most exhausting, thrilling, and rewarding of your year!
An Encore Voyage 
Such a worthy cause
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Helping the community is always a good cause…Kudos for doing so.
With a little time you can already help out on one event or another.
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I often said that volunteering gave me some of the best work experience of my life. Good for you. 💕
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I’m just now recovering! Many really late nights – but such a successful fundraiser to help LOTS of kids!
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Volunteering is such a worthwhile thing to do- and it’s also a great way to meet other people and open a new door in your life. Your event sounds epic!!
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Every year it amazes me to watch it come together. My God daughter, Melissa, is in charge of the whole thing!
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What a wonderful event and a worthwhile cause! As I’ve said before: NO ONE needs be bored in retirement… unless you want to be.
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In this case, it was more like exhausted! Didn’t get to bed before 2:30 am all weekend!
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This is a great reminder, Lynn. There are TONS of volunteering opportunities out there. I just began writing articles for my community’s ‘Buy Local” campaign. I was looking to start with something that I could do from my computer and involved a skill in which I felt comfortable.For me, this opportunity was perfect.
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That is a beautifully decorated event. I hope everyone had a wonderful time. I believe in volunteering myself. It is such a rewarding feeling. I hope this post motivates someone else to do it too.
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It was amazing. So cool how they turned that giant arena into such a beautiful setting. And with all the pipe and drapes, you couldn’t see the arena seating! Those of us who help out have been told we are in it “for life!” 😉
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Volunteering is such a rewarding work. There is always an opportunity for us to give back. I noticed even the public schools are requiring the kids to provide community service hours now. Not something that I recall being mandatory when my kids were younger. I think it’s a great start for kids.
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Bravo, Lynn, for your hard work at such a worthy cause. The decor in the photo looks amazing!
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