A volunteer is generally a person who voluntarily offers himself or herself for a service or undertaking and willingly performs it without pay or compensation.

Morgan Meadows wrote last week that in San Juan County we have many excellent service organizations and lots of volunteers serving them.  These wonderful people donate talent, labor, and funds to meet the needs of our citizens and do so without thought of compensation. I agree, but now we are asked to trade in our unselfish concern for the welfare of others and community and give so that we can get something in return. The idea is not to give your services but to trade them. If this was only about coordinating volunteers throughout the county, a local database for this could be administered and maintained by volunteers. In San Juan County we have the money, expertise, and people to do so. Not a bad idea.

TimeBanks USA and isleshare.org need to make money to stay afloat. Grants are sought and, at this time, donations requested. In a presentation at the West Sound Community Club Morgan said there would be a fee to participate. She, the coordinator, would be the only paid staff member. When asked where the money for this would come from to pay her, she said it would come through the fees and grants.

The idea that all labor (just like products) are of equal value is not a concept that we support in this great country. Higher education and skills are of higher value. A program like TimeBanks promotes social change “with an emphasis on sustainable economics and social capitol, is a sweet and empowering undertaking.” The program comes complete with a youth indoctrination program. Grants generally come from taxes. This program is designed to sidestep taxes.

I doubt you could get enough people into the program to sustain it via individual recruitment avenues. The program is currently attempting to recruit all our successful volunteer organizations to join under the isleshare.org umbrella. Volunteers will no longer be giving, they will be trading. It’s a great loss to our community.

Don Pencil

Orcas Island