Editorial: Take your ideas, passion to Volunteer Summit

Green Valley attracts the best and brightest because of its reputation as one of the country's top retirement communities.

Retirees come without the stress of making deadline or making budget. They come at a powerful time in their lives. Many have enough assets to live leisurely and enough time to volunteer for causes they support.

The decision to stay engaged has led to a spirit of volunteerism and activism in Green Valley. Because the community is involved, it maintains a sense of character and dignity we do not see anywhere else in Arizona.

Volunteerism has been instrumental in the development and growth of Green Valley.

Community leaders say it will be the driving force in the future as newcomers move into the area and bring their talent and voice to the table.

As part of a 10-year community plan, “5:15: A Time of Change,” the Green Valley Community Coordinating Council cited the need for volunteers in the next decade.

And to facilitate the push, more than 30 Green Valley volunteer organizations will come together for a Volunteerism Summit at 10 a.m., May 23, at the Desert Hills Center.

We applaud the idea of a Volunteerism Summit. In fact, those responsible for the idea deserve a standing ovation. They understand the importance of connecting people and their passions with organizations that make a difference.

“Volunteerism is the engine that makes Green Valley work,” GVCCC President Russ Symes said. “The men and women who volunteer at our many community organizations such as the GVCCC, GVR (Green Valley Recreation) and the White Elephant are the energy that runs the engine.”

The Volunteer Summit will be a forum for ideas. The community is invited to attend to tap into the collective brainpower that has made Green Valley great.

Ideas will be on the table on how to facilitate volunteers, such as creating a Volunteer Center in Green Valley to make people with organizations.

“As Green Valley continues to grow and the demographics of our retirement population change, we need to make sure that the energy of volunteerism is always available,” Symes said. “The Volunteer Summit is an important first step toward that goal.”

The GVCCC is coordinating the summit, with sponsorship from Meritage Active Adult Communities. GVR is providing the Desert Hills Center.

The sponsorship from Meritage is the second notable gesture toward the community in less than 60 days. In March, Meritage provided GVR with a letter of credit to move forward with the Canoa Ranch Center, ending a frustrating impasse. We salute its commitment.

“When we were preparing the 5:15 community plan last year, the single-most frequent concern we heard from the various organizations was, 'How are we going to get the volunteers we need to meet the expectations of the Green Valley community?' It was from this concern that the Volunteer Summit was born,” said John Otto, chairman of the 5:15 Community Plan Implementation Task Force.

Two regional experts in volunteer recruiting will be keynote speakers for the summit. Amanda Abens, vice president of programs for Big Brothers and Big Sisters in Tucson, will speak in the morning. Lea Marquez-Peterson, executive director of Greater Tucson Leadership, will speak in the afternoon.

Two other leaders, Jim Murphy, corporate relations director for the Pima Council on Aging, and John Geiger, past chairman of the GVCCC Health and Human Services Social Committee, will speak as well.

“By bringing together regional volunteerism experts and all our local volunteer organizations, we hope to develop strategies for perpetuating and enhancing the culture of volunteerism in Green Valley,” Otto said.

We urge you to be part of the summit. Call the GVCCC office at 648-1936 no later than May 16 to reserve a spot. The cost is $5, a small investment to be on the ground floor of this meaningful discussion.