Inspiring Forward: Fall Festival Giving

New season, new opportunities to give back. We met with Tanya Buchtela (TB), one of our trainers, to go over her Day of Giving experience.

AC: What organization or local cause did you volunteer for?

TB: My Local church has an annual Fall Festival and each year they choose where the funds will go. This year they are going to the youth group, which I have grandkids that attend. I decided to sew some items for the silent auction and craft tables. I made a pink outfit with burp cloths, bibs, blankets, and the basket itself for the silent auction and then made some additional bibs and burp cloths adding some sunglass cases and plastic bag hanging holders which will be sold at the craft sale portion.

AC: Was this your first time volunteering for this organization or cause? Please elaborate.

TB: This is the 3rd year for my Church to have the fall festival. I have donated items every year but this year using my 8 hours I was able to make more items to donate.

AC: Were there any requirements for this type of volunteerism?

TB: The only requirement to be able to donate is the art of caring.

AC: Why did you choose to volunteer here for your Day of Giving?

TB: I live in a small town and small churches are suffering from a lack of members. I will do everything I can to keep this church going for my grandkids as they grow up and have families of their own.

AC: Can you tell us about your volunteer experience? What did you do? Did your time volunteering meet your expectations?

TB: I enjoy sewing and sewing items to donate makes me feel good. It was a very quiet and relaxing 8 hours of uninterrupted sewing. You can get a lot done in 8 hours. At the end of the day, I felt very rewarded for my accomplishments and ready to come back to work.

AC: What would you like to share to encourage others to volunteer their time and energy locally?

TB: There is always somewhere and some way to volunteer. Even in small towns, there are homes for the elderly where you can donate your time to go play cards. Who gets paid to go play cards? We tend to forget our elderly, and this is a good way to remember they get lonely too. Crochet a sweater for your neighbor who sits on her front porch and never has company. Sew anything that you can donate to local shelters for little ones who have nothing. These are just a few ways to use your 8 hours of paid time to give back to your community.

AC: Is there anything else you’d like to share about your experience?

TB: Thank you Activus for this opportunity. I wonder what I will think of doing next year.