VOLUME I – Greetings and Happy Holidays!

Dear South Jersey,

There’s always a place in time in a journalists life – heck, in anyone’s life – where there is an opportunity that you can’t pass up. So, when Susan Miller, editor of The Central Record, approached me about starting my own blog for this lovely publication, I jumped at it.

My past experiences in blogging dealt with inspiration, motivation, clarification – all kinds of –ations. But, when it came down to it, the fulfillment I got from writing that stuff was only a quick fix.

Then, I did a little bit of dating and relationships stuff. I scowled the internet for a few minutes and I realized how much of that rubbish was already out there.

So, when Susan asked me to brainstorm some ideas, the same old stuff went through my head – sports, relationships, self-help, cars, business… You can tell I’m a guy, can’t you? All of this stuff has been done, and quite frankly, it just wouldn’t be an interesting enough read.

Back in November, shortly after Susan opened up this opportunity to me, I was driving home from work, one day, and I saw the first wave of community Christmas decorations. The beautifully lit snowflakes, hanging on the lampposts, glimmered in the night sky and warmed my heart.

“The holidays were coming!” I thought to myself.

When you think of the holidays, what do you think of?

I mean, there’s plenty of things that come to mind, aren’t there? Beautiful light displays, like the one I saw on the road; Presents under a green tree, coupled with a warm and piney scent; Cookies and milk by the fireplace, awaiting Santa’s jolly fingers…

Well, for some reason, on that day, at that very moment, none of that crossed through my mind. The first image that popped into my head that evening was the image of a warmly-dressed gentleman ringing a bell and standing by a kettle outside of a Walmart or in the mall.

And that’s when it hit me. There are so many volunteer organizations out there, but so little advertising goes into them. For an average Joe like you and I, it can sometimes be very difficult to find information on these types of philanthropies.

Therefore, what better time than the holiday season than to start a blog on volunteering? This is my tribute to the Do-Gooders of South Jersey, as I chronicle my journey from place to place, going right into the hearts of volunteer organizations in the area and getting all of the juicy details.

Need some more inspiration? Check this out, this just happened, this year! http://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2010/12/09/Man-puts-5500-in-Salvation-Army-kettle/UPI-94681291917500/

Motivated yet? Excited? Every week, you’ll get to read up on a different volunteer organization, which I visited. Over the course of five days, I will interview directors and volunteers, as well as help out a little bit to learn all that I can about the organization. My goal: To get that information to you, the residents of this wonderful area! Hopefully, I can open your hearts to taking a little bit of time each week to help make this town, this county, this state, this country and this world, a better place.

Make sure you find me on Facebook, and please feel free to e-mail me at kjhaslam@gmail.com. If you are a volunteer organization that would like to be featured, please contact me via e-mail. Thanks, and Happy New Year!

Yours,

Kevin Haslam