Another Group Through

Posted by TeamCharlie on September 15, 2008 under Wags for Hope | Be the First to Comment

On Saturday we conducted another Wags for Hope orientation.  I really don’t know how many that is for us, but given the fact that we started in April of 2006, my guess is that we have done over a dozen of them.  My wife asked me if I get tired of doing them, because although the slides are altered a bit each time, they are basically designed to disseminate the same information.  My answer was a resounding “no.”  The reason for that is because every time we do one a whole new group of really excited faces are there to greet me and participate in the program.  The more I learn the more I see that Wags for Hope is providing a service not only to the community, but to its volunteers as well.   In the beginning of the orientation, we go around the room and get people to introduce themselves and talk about their pet.  I asked the first couple why they were considering Wags for Hope, and their response really depicted why a lot of people do this.  They said that they have so much love for their dog, they just want to share that with other people.  That is the exact reason why I started visiting back in 2004 with Charlie.  There is so much positive energy in that bond that we have with our animals that it just grows when we share it.   This answer might stray from the expected “I want to give back to the community.”  However I have always held the position that if this is the only reason people volunteer they will not last because they get nothing in return.  Many philanthropic groups are seeing declines in membership due to the economy or other reasons, but we are still consistently seeing quite a few people sign up to these orientations.  I think that it is for the reason that our volunteers gain so much from this activity.  I also maintain that not one of us should feel guilty for reaping these rewards – it is part of what makes it fun.