VOLUME III – Not your typical volunteerism

Dear South Jersey,

I just had to check in with you guys!

When I first started planning for this blog and this venture, I had a concrete idea of where I wanted to go with it in mind. I wanted to feature the local organizations that you, Burlington County, can get involved with. I wanted to lend my own helping hand to these organizations and paint a picture for you, the people, the future volunteers, so that you would know some of the good and not-so-good things about taking on certain volunteer opps.

But then I saw it from a different angle…

I realized that my idea of volunteering was a tadpole in the Atlantic Ocean. There are truly so many ways of volunteering, and it only took a few moments in my daily life to realize it.

As a freelance writer, I get to cover a lot of different things for a lot of different venues. One of my occasional opportunities comes with a sister group of South Jersey Local News called Bucks Local News (www.buckslocalnews.com).

This past Sunday, I was asked by sports editor Steve Sherman to attend a local swimming fundraiser called Pennsbury SPLASH, which is hosted by one of Bucks County’s club swimming teams for kids up to the age of 12. From this experience, I got to see how dedicated our role models in life can be to a cause.

Parents, coaches and just people in general – 150 people to be exact – donated their time to make sure the near-500 kids had the time of their lives. The event was held at The College of New Jersey. It’s not often that kids get a chance to swim in a college facility.

A few notable excerpts from my article… (Quotes from: Club President George Keehfuss and Meet Director Yvonne Cappiello-Pastor).

“This is about making a commitment to something and sticking to it,” Keehfuss said of the club’s philosophy. “It’s about coming out for practice on time. I don’t know if every kid here is going to become an Olympic swimmer someday, but I know that they can take something out of this program that they can take with them for the rest of their lives. That carries you on for the rest of your life in anything you want to be and that makes you a successful person.

The kids get something out of it, too, as many of them have their best performances of the year.

“Really, it’s about them in their hearts, because, when they beat their own time, they won’t be as thrilled when they beat an opponent, but when they beat their own time it’s a huge accomplishment. It’s like a runner trying to beat a five minute mile,” Cappiello-Pastor said.

Overall, the message resonates that this club cares about its participants: the kids.

“I’m not here for me,” Keehfuss said. “I’m not here to build my ego. Everyone’s here for one main common goal and it’s the kids. It’s the only reason I come to this event. I want to give back to this community and make sure these kids get an opportunity. That’s what our program is built on. We want to give kids opportunities. That’s what Dean wants to do so these kids can move on to big schools, and that’s something we never did here, before. I want this to be where kids get better opportunities to further themselves in life, and what better place to do it than in the pool?”

My girlfriend and I were visiting friends in Washington D.C., that weekend, and I made a last second commitment to attend the event, and what a great event to have gotten the opportunity to attend. I essentially drove from D.C. to her house in Phoenixville, Pa, and then from her house to the event in Ewing, N.J., getting a traffic citation along the way. It was all worth it.

The people I met at SPLASH were wonderful people that cared about their own kids, and the kids of hundreds of other parents. They opened my eyes to how wonderfully passionate a sport swimming is. Mind you, things like this are happening everywhere.

Also, in my travels, I work as a Sports Editor for Cinnaminson Patch (http://cinnaminson.patch.com). Just the other day, I got a chance to interview a retired police officer by the name of Denny Chesney. He and his family are VERY involved in Pop Warner athletics.

Chesney has coached kids since the 1970s, including some semi-successful pro players in Derek Holloway (Washington Redskins, Tampa Bay Buccaneers) and Topper Clemons (Dallas Cowboys). He is now the head coach of Cinnaminson’s Pop Warner 90-pound football team.

His son just joined the Air Force Reserve, his first daughter is on the varsity cheer squad at Cinnaminson High School in only her sophomore year, and his youngest daughter will be honored on Friday for Pop Warner cheering and outstanding academics. Oh, and did I mention his wife is an advisor to the Pop Warner cheerleaders?

A few excerpts from that article…

Chesney truly believes that Cinnaminson Pop Warner is the best in Burlington County, attributing Commissioner Mark Rapp as the “Buddha” of Pop Warner sports in Cinnaminson.

Overall, the life skills learned from the Pop Warner program are something that Chesney hopes that all kids can experience.

“It makes them better people. It makes them better kids. They’re all good kids to begin with, but it helps them with their personalities, and in school. It’s something that’s needed. It’s something a community needs.”

The underlying message, Burlington County? Being a parent doesn’t end at raising your kids – it’s growing with the community… it’s volunteering to aid with other people’s kids… it’s showing the public that you are responsible and that you care…

These people I have met are beautiful people. But, to tell you the truth… there are so many more, with stories similar to, but so very different from their tribulations as parents and volunteers.

So, I cannot blog about volunteerism without tipping my hat to you, the parents of New Jersey. You are the reason for our confidence, our success, our love.

For Mom and Dad… Without you, I am nothing.

Yours,

Kevin Haslam