Volunteering in the Media

You may have noticed, just possibly, that volunteering is EVERYWHERE in the media. The Obama campaign, as mentioned in yesterday's post, is inspiring Americans to volunteer and serve America in order to help rebuild the economy. With that campaign, September 11th would not only be a day of rememberance, but a day devoted to service.

Today's post focuses on a different day and a different rememberance. It's Mandela Day, coming up on July 18th, Nelson Mandela's birthday. The day celebrate's the past South African President's political and social activism contributions by encouraging people to donate 67 minutes to volunteering.

The Volunteer Center of Story County participates on many days of national service, Global Youth Service Day, Martin Luther King Day, Earth Day and Family Volunteer Day (to mention a few). But what is inspiring such a frenzy in the media is not just the day itself, but how it is being advertised.

An article in The New York Times states how the Mandela Day campaign is spending $5 million in the state of New York to advertise. Their goal is to 'break down barriers that prevent people from volunteering' and 'introduce the day'. Print and T.V. ads show, through volunteer hands, how individuals can make a difference (of course, having Morgan Freeman as a spokesperson doesn't hurt either).

It is no doubt that national service is in the spotlight, and regardless of the day of service, I think this campaign can stand as an inspiration to us all.

Maybe you've been volunteering for years, maybe it was something your parents did so now you do it but maybe, you are someone who has never considered volunteering before now. Maybe, despite the uncertainty of the economy, you're finding hope in the fact that you can make a change in the world through one simple act of kindness in your own community.

Yes, this advertising might be a bit over the top and yes, it might be considered 'sad' that we even have to inspire people to volunteer, but when all is said and done, I'd rather see a huge campaign for volunteering anyday than another $100 million McCafe campaign for McDonald's coffee drinks.