It was a hair past one in the morning in the small town of Hubble, Kentucky. I was stepping out of our team van to run my second leg in a two hundred mile relay race across the state.

After an unsuccessful couple of hours trying to sleep on the bench seat, tackling another seven miles down a lonely stretch of country road was not a welcome proposition.The temperature had dropped to a chilly forty-five degrees and misting rain leaked the last dregs of a soggy day in Bourbon Country.  I could certainly gripe about having to do this, but I was the one crazy enough to sign up for the privilege.

Walking toward the exchange zone, I could not help but notice the high school aged boy who was blocking traffic for the race.  His hooded sweatshirt was proving to be inadequate for the wet conditions, but I heard no complaints.  In my years of running and coordinating races I have seen a lot of dedicated volunteers, but this kid really caught my attention.  In a strange and humbling way, it was a refreshing scene.

Surrounded by a world preaching self-centeredness and “what’s in it for me?” attitudes, the volunteer remains as a beacon for altruism.

I have a friend who works at the Children’s Hospital here in Birmingham.  He is one of the only Doctors in this region who specializes in Pediatric Urology.  Consequently, Tony receives patients from all over the state, many of which who do not have sufficient health insurance or the income to pay for the care of their children.  Refusing to turn these children away, and unbeknownst to many of his friends and colleagues, he treats over fifty percent of his patients at no charge.  What if we all had this mentality?

Without the help of volunteers, diseases would be less treatable.  Illiteracy would be an even larger burden. Disasters would have a more crippling effect.

By giving our time and energies to others, we inherently learn more about ourselves.

Volunteering is your opportunity to have a voice, and an outlet to find out what you are really made of.  When there are no ulterior motives, are you still that willing and caring person?

The purpose of DoGoodedness.com lies ultimately within our name.  We are here to encourage everyone to spend at least a little time each day improving themselves, their community, and their environment.  Our goal is to find likeminded individuals who seek to “do good” in their own lives and that of others.  Please join us in our mission of DoGoodedness!

Sincerely,

matt