It is important to volunteer and serve the communities and region in which you live. I’ve had the pleasure of serving as a Director for the past year with the Straits-St. Barbe Chronic Care Corporation. At the 2010 Annual General Meeting was elected vice-president. This role has given me a deeper understanding of issues resulting around homecare, long-term care, non-profits and social enterprise.
Tonight is a night to be rewarded for investing my time into this organization. There are smiles on everyone’s faces as they prepare for a christmas celebration.
33 residents, staff, Board members and others attended a Christmas dinner. This followed by conversations of times way back when. We were served lots of treats. Santa arrived and handed out a small token to those in attendance. There was definate cheer in the room. Which erupted when a trio from Conche, NL arrived to provide entertainment.
These men have talent! They play the guitars, accordians (squeezebox) all with local vocals. They perform just like you would get from an Irish pub. I know, from a recent vacation all around Ireland just a few weeks ago. They play all sorts of Irish ballads and traditional Newfoundland songs. Like all true Newfoundlanders and Labradorians they know several good jokes and tell a few yarns. Makes for a good time.
What makes for more excitement is the participation of the senior citizens, dancing a jig, clapping their hands and with smiles on their faces. The mummer’s even came for a visit. To see such traditional happenings before Christmas is such a delight.
Great music, great friends – young and old, there is no better reward than reaping the benefit of volunteer hours by a smile. We can all make difference in our communities. We can all contribute in some way to a better region and rural area for us all.
Merry Christmas,
Live Rural NL- CCM
