From its inception, our club has dedicated itself to “hands on” projects. We donated money when it was necessary, but we far preferred to donate our time and labor. As a result, we’ve had some extremely satisfying times making a difference where we could.
Our world has changed. The concept of “when we get back to normal” is becoming more and more skewed. Large gatherings are discouraged, as well as interactions that require strenuous exertions by groups of people in close proximity. We may be headed for a future where being a “hands on” club is not going to be realistic by our current definition.
We’ve had some discussion about this during our meetings, but after “getting together to make masks” and “handing out food in a parking lot,” the conversation lags. We’re not sure what we can do.
Does this mean we should change direction and reconsider our current “hands on” policy? No. One of the things that makes our club so worthwhile is the satisfaction we get from seeing a physical project finished in person; dusting ourselves off and congratulating ourselves on a job well done; perhaps driving by the project years later and being able to think “We did that.”
What it does mean is that our “hands on” policy needs a reboot. We need to take a serious look at those projects that can be done, and how they can be done. We need to assess current community needs and how our service model can best serve those needs. What we need is a new focus, and the best place to start is with the Community Service Committee, led this year by Ricardo Villacorta.
Ricardo will need our help. He needs input and committee members. If you have opinions, or would like to serve on the Community Service Committee, please get in touch with Ricardo. I’m sure he could use the input.
