Volunteering keeps the Valley in motion

Frontiersman editorial board

A group of students and adults are visiting the Valley right now, working to repair and improve the homes of some Mat-Su residents. The owner of Pioneer Lodge pitched in a lot of money and a lot of effort to help rescue some of the banks along Willow Creek. Workers from Nabors Alaska Drilling Inc. and inmates from the Point MacKenzie Rehabilitation Center teamed up with city of Wasilla parks and recreation workers to help landscape the Armed Forces Honor Garden at Iditapark. None of them had to.

The difference between a town and a community, like the difference between a house and a home, can be defined in many ways. Perhaps the thing that best defines a community, though, is how people interact and get involved. A town is a place. A community is something in motion. The Valley seems to be in constant motion. These are more than towns, and maybe that explains at least one reason that so many people are moving here.

Everywhere you go in the Valley -- meetings, sporting events, clean-up days, community celebrations -- you find them, if you look hard enough. They're often quiet and in the background. They're not out there for the praise or a share of the limelight. They just know that for a thing to work, somebody has to roll up sleeves and dig into the details. They organize, they gather supplies, they make calls and lick stamps. They stack people and tools in the back of pick-up trucks and vans and get them where they need to be. They're creating their community.

You'd think all that thankless drudgery would make them grumpy. You'd think they'd be slumped over with fatigue -- after all, most of them have jobs and families, too. Still, we're always surprised to find that they're often the happiest people at the event. They always seem to be the ones that are happy to see you. They're the ones who say, "No problem. I can take care of that." Ask them and they'll tell you that the pitching in doesn't drag them down … it bolsters them. Sure, their muscles ache, and it's lights out the moment their heads hit the pillow, but they'll tell you they sleep well. They'll tell you that once you get started giving your time and energy, it's addicting.

It's a great community here in the Valley, but it's still not perfect. There are still needs that haven't been filled. In the sports section of this issue there is an article about a shortage of youth football officials, for instance. It's not a burden waiting to be placed upon somebody. It's an opportunity to make things a little better for some young athletes. The Datebook section, printed every Friday, continually has listings of volunteers needed. If you haven't found a way to help keep the community in motion, these are just a few ways to help. They're not hard to find.