It's a new year, and maybe the right time in your life to become inspired. I'd like to share a resource that could help you make a difference in West Chicago or one of our surrounding communities,  and one which may prove transformative in your own life.

Giving DuPage is a non-profit organization with a mission to promote giving and volunteering in DuPage County. Back in October, I attended its Volapalooza, an event established to recognize the many people and volunteer organizations doing important work on so many levels.

Betty Stallings, internationally recognized expert on the power of volunteering, was the keynote speaker and moved the audience to tears.Rather than use statistics, graphs or a PowerPoint presentation, Betty told story after story of the impact that simple acts of kindness through volunteerism made in the lives of those they touched. 

She spoke of the volunteer who brought a therapy dog, on a moment's notice, to the bedside of a Hospice patient whose agitated state foretold her imminent passing. With family members gathered, the volunteer stepped up and placed the dog on a chair beside the woman, and her nurse gently placed her hand on the dog. The woman immediately relaxed and became calm. She opened her eyes for the first time in days and looked serenely at each person present, before closing her eyes peacefully for the last time. The family received this priceless gift through the actions of a volunteer who answered a phone call and said "yes, I'll be there".

Another life-affirming story involved a literacy volunteer who didn't know she was making a difference with a difficult, non-communicative learner - at least not until almost 30-years later when to her shock, the student contacted her as a result of her attendance at a church retreat in which she was asked to thank someone who had made a positive impact in her life. The student fluently expressed to the astounded volunteer how that earlier encounter had changed her life.

These two stories illustrate the rewards associated with volunteering. There is no better feeling in the world than that of knowing you are a force for good in this universe. The volunteer spirit is already strong in West Chicago and I know that many in our community have already discovered its rewards, however many others would like get involved but don't know where to begin.

Giving DuPage's main function is to connect volunteers and donors with local volunteer opportunities and ways in which to give back. It serves as a clearinghouse in this way, through a user-friendly online tool known as its Volunteer Opportunity Portal. The portal connects users to over 265 local non-profit organizations and 500+ active volunteer/service opportunities and in-kind donation needs. It can filter by cause, keywords, geography or specific non-profits to find the causes and organizations that are most important to you. Whatever your calling or ability, there is a rewarding volunteer opportunity that is right for you.

  

I encourage you to check it out. For more information, contact Giving DuPage at givingdupage@dupageco.org or call (630) 407-6458. Make this the year to pay it forward through volunteer service.

Respectfully,

Ruben Pineda

Mayor