Thankful For You – Volunteers

November is a month for Thanks. So this November we will be sharing our thanks each week in a Thankful for You blog series. Today, we are going to kick it off by thanking the people who are the MADD mission in action, our volunteers.

The volunteers at MADD Nebraska are special. We mean really special. I am sure every organization believes that their volunteers are the best, but we know that it takes a special person to volunteer with an organization like MADD. Our volunteers have to have the ability to walk through difficult situations, care about people they have never met before and speak from their hearts sharing some of the hardest parts of their lives. And somehow they do all this and still find a way to make their time volunteering with MADD fun. They are the most incredible people you have ever met and we are so thankful for them.

MADD volunteers don’t just give their time to our organization. They give of themselves. From working simple data entry to facilitating Victim Impact Panels, our volunteers are sharing their distinct talents to make MADD a better organization. They are also driving the MADD mission in our state. Without them, we would not reach as many people with MADD’s life-saving message. They are beyond passionate about the mission. Whether they came to us already driven to create change and end impaired driving or because they wanted to get involved with a cause that sounded interesting to them, our volunteers all grow to deeply care about the work they are doing and the change they are making in the world.

Our volunteers are also the most fun. I know, that the topics we deal with at MADD aren’t always fun and a lot of the work we do is very serious. But, our volunteers are fun and have fun working with us. Knowing how to find the right time to laugh and how to find joy in things is one of the very distinct talents of our incredible MADD volunteers.

I could share with you data here, on how much the hours are volunteers give are worth. Or how many more people we reach because of the work we do. But, the true number is impossible to find. Because we know that we can track the difference they are making while they are volunteering with us, but we know that their passion for the mission doesn’t stop when their volunteer hours are done. They become part of the mission, talking to others about the work they are doing, sharing their belief that together we can create a future with no more victims. We know that the work they do is and the impact they make is beyond measure. We know that we couldn’t do what we do as an organization without our volunteers. While thank you will never be enough, today we say thank you to each and every one of our amazing volunteers. For being you. For choosing MADD. And for making a difference.