Giving Back

I'm sure many of you are volunteers of some sort or have been at some point in your lives. If not, you're really missing out on a spectacular feeling. I volunteer with many different groups, too many, if you ask my employees. It takes up a lot of my time both at work and at home. I love the feeling of giving back and helping. If there were more hours in the day or someone handed me a million bucks so I didn't have to work for money, I would volunteer more. I hope that my children can learn about giving back by watching me make a difference. To me, that's what volunteering is all about.
With all this in mind, I am extremely proud to announce that my sister, Kristen, and her family (Bill, Alyssa & Erin) have been awarded the Spirit of New Hampshire award for family volunteerism! My sister gives relentlessly at her job at the UpReach Therapeutic Riding Center here in Goffstown, NH as a Therapeutic riding instructor. Having been involved with horses her entire life, she has been able to take that joy and use it not only in her work as an instructor but also parlay it into helping others. It doesn't pay enough to live the high life, but my sister is one of the wealthiest people I know on the planet. My nieces have seen first hand the effects of volunteerism and have been a part of my sisters ventures since they were in the womb (yes, Kristen rode and taught all throughout her pregnancies!) Let's just say they were born with it. Her husband, Bill, married into it and I believe that's one of the things that made him love her more. Kristen and volunteering come hand in hand. They work together as a family and I couldn't be prouder. I hope, as I continue on with my volunteer efforts, I can instill as much pride in volunteering as my sister, my best friend, has in her family.
We may not all be in a position to dedicate our lives to volunteering or be able to take a job that has such meaning, but we can do something. So as one of my favorite movies says, pay it forward. Do something good to help others and just ask that they continue on the good efforts. The feeling is unspeakable and you'll have made the world a bit better.
Congrats Sis and family!