Peacock: Time is best gift to give

April is National Volunteer Month, and smack dab in the middle of the month is National Volunteer Week. That starts Sunday and runs through April 24.

We here at the Volunteer Action Center are excited to be hosting a variety of activities to engage the community and share the great works of the many agencies and organizations in our communities. Not only that, we want to share how important it is to volunteer and how easy it is to sign up and use the Volunteer Action Center website.

The Neighbors in Action Kick-off event scheduled for Saturday will get the ball rolling on the many fun events we have been planning. The family friendly free event will happen from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. at the Clovis Civic Center and will include a rock painting garden, basket raffles, Virtual5K registration, agency and organization informational fair and more!

As the week-long celebration continues, you will have the opportunity to participate in the Rockin Scavenger Hunt. This event will allow folks to travel around Clovis and Portales with a set of clues and find the many painted rocks that we will be placing at the participating agencies and NIA sponsor locations. This will be a great and fun activity for families to enjoy together.

As you travel around Clovis and Portales, be on the lookout for the agency signs that we will be placing on Friday to showcase the many agencies and organizations that work to help those in need and connect folks to needed resources.

As we round out the week, we will be hosting an Awards Breakfast at the Best Western Portales Inn. Awards will be presented to The President's Volunteer Service Award winners and to the Patricia Bazar Community Volunteer of the Year award winner.

With the events of the past year, we want to take the time to acknowledge how important volunteers are, have been and continue to be. Without the many volunteers who have jumped in and helped where they can, many agencies and organizations would have not been able to do what they do or continue to help those that have been in need.

In what has been a world of chaos, change and uncertainness the past year plus, the power of volunteering has not waned locally. It has been amazing to see the many folks who have stepped up to the plate and helped where they can and how they can. It truly makes a difference and adds much needed positivity in these unprecedented times.

Celebrating and honoring the many volunteers is why we have been planning some fun events this month. We encourage and invite you to join us this Saturday and share in the celebration and to learn more about the importance of volunteering.

Volunteering makes a difference in the lives of many, today and always!

Contact Casey Peacock at:

[email protected]

To find volunteer opportunities, visit http://www.volunteerenm.org