Not only do I operate a non-profit, but I serve on several Board of Directors of other non-profits. One of those organizations is The American Veteran’s Tribute Organization. This is an organization that is focused on raising awareness for and meeting the needs of veterans.
One important part of this organization’s mission is to honor veterans at our annual tribute event on the 4th of July weekend. It is an amazing day that is filled with acknowledgements and celebration of the contributions of veterans to thousands of people who attend at Lake Gaston, Virginia.
The Tribute is totally run by volunteers which is probably about 50 in number. It really is a day of inspiration and our Board is excited to offer it to honor our veterans and share their plight with a rather large audience. It is truly a day of inspiration.
We have been struggling to find significant funding for this event. We have all the pieces in place for the event to be successful but maintaining the funding for it over time has been filled with challenges.
As we worked through how we could get local funding, we had a group of individuals come to us and agree to volunteer to contact individuals and corporate sponsors regionally. I recently met with these individuals and found them ambitious, resonant, motivated and inspired to help us raise the necessary funds to make our event a success. They even agreed to surpass our budgetary needs and place the organization in a strong financial position.
I walked away from that meeting and felt so blessed and thankful for these valiant and committed individuals. They truly believed in what we do in that region that they actually wanted to knock on doors, contact community groups and work diligently to make sure that they would be responsible to handle the difficult task of fund-raising. Their efforts have already been launched and they are excited about their potential success.
Volunteers can be such a gift! They are inspirational in their attitudes and hopefulness. They believe in the cause and are willing to sacrifice their time and energy to make sure that our non-profits are successful. Finding individuals like this can be a challenge but once they mobilize it is so encouraging to see them in action. They can truly relieve those who are on the front lines, doing the mission, by taking on some of the intense workload. They also can help to motivate and mobilize us to stay the course and carry on our mission with enthusiasm.
Gerry Vassar, President/CEO
