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Thank you to volunteers

National Volunteer Week runs April 15-21 this year and it is a good time for us here in Thompson to reflect on all the things that we enjoy locally that wouldn’t otherwise be available if some of our other residents didn’t decided to take some of the

National Volunteer Week runs April 15-21 this year and it is a good time for us here in Thompson to reflect on all the things that we enjoy locally that wouldn’t otherwise be available if some of our other residents didn’t decided to take some of their precious free time and dedicate it towards organizations and activities that benefit others.

In this month alone, Thompson has hosted the Northern Manitoba regional science fair, which wouldn’t have been possible without judges and other volunteers giving up part of their weekend for the sake of the students participating, and this Friday will see the annual Knights of Columbus track meet for elementary and junior high students running for more than 12 hours at the C.A. Nesbitt Arena, not to mention all the hours put into making the event a success beforehand and cleaning up afterwards. Just over a week later, the same space will be occupied by the Relay for Life cancer research fundraiser.

And of course, who can forget the amazing job done by volunteers at the beginning of March, when nearly 800 Thompsonites took some or all of a week of their lives to make the 2018 Manitoba Games a memorable experience for participants and spectators alike?

Without the efforts of these people and so many others, whether they are sports team coaches, designated drivers, cashiers at the hospital gift shop or amateur actors, life in our community – and in every other community in the country – would not be as diverse and interesting as it is. And while it is true that none of these volunteers are doing these activities because they expect any kind of award or recognition, it is nice sometimes when someone says thanks because, let’s face it, as anyone who volunteers or works or goes to school or takes care of their children knows, there are some days when you don’t feel like doing it, when you’d rather stay in bed, or just read a book, or binge-watch TV or movies all day. But thanks to that thing we call a sense of responsibility or duty or obligation, volunteers get up early or stay out late, or pore over financial records to ensure that whatever they dedicate their time to is there for the people who rely on it and not about to run out of the precious money that it relies on to continue fulfilling its mission, whatever that may be.

Without volunteers, there would be far fewer things for us to report on in the pages of our newspaper and all of us would be poorer for having fewer entertainment options to choose from to enrich our lives. So, volunteers, whoever you are and whatever you do, no many how many or how few hours you dedicate each week to doing things for others, thanks. Life wouldn’t be as good without you.

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