Show Your Volunteers that you Care!

Ideas for Volunteer Appreciation

Volunteering is a fun and easy way to give back to your community and to also help others who are in need. There are numerous ways one can volunteer: they can help out at a food shelter, pick up trash in a park or ditch, take care of animals at an animal shelter, or serve food to the homeless at a local church or community center. Even taking a moment to help your elderly neighbor rake the leaves or shovel the snow goes a long way. The options and opportunities are there every day.

Volunteers are a huge part of achieving our community goals, without them giving their time, skills, and energy it would be difficult to keep the community we live in the place it is today. If you are part of a volunteer organization and would like to show your thanks to these dedicated volunteers, here are a few ways you can do just that:

Get Creative with Food or Treats!

This is a great way to show your appreciation for your volunteers because it gives them a little treat to snack on and it also lets them know that you are thankful for all of the hard work they have put in.

Sometimes it’s the Small Things that Count!

Even the smallest gift can send a big message. If you personalize a pack of gum, a stick of chapstick, or a scented candle, that is something that your volunteer will always remember.

Get Crafty!

If you would like to give them a unique gift that will save you a little money, show them you care by creating a gift for them! This will show your appreciation because the volunteer(s) will see how much thought and effort you put into each gift. 

                    

Here at Ashley Farm’s we truly appreciate everything that our volunteers do each and every day, and we find that it is very important to let these individuals know how much they mean to us. If you do not currently volunteer, we highly recommend it because it is one of the best things you can do not only for your community, but also for yourself. Just remember that even a little bit can go a long way.

The Importance of Supporting Music Programs in Schools

Nobody doubts that having creative outlets available to students is hugely important, not only for academic performance, but for development of children as a whole. A variety of studies have been done on the impact of music on children. The results are clear. Music education is beneficial to children in a variety of ways.

· It’s more than just music. Participating in music education encourages children to use wide-ranging skillsets.

· Music has major benefits for language development. Musical training has an impact on the part of the brain used for language.

· Music affects overall intelligence. Statistics show that children involved with music have higher IQs than those who do not. Musical children also do better on tests.

· An understanding of music can help children excel in other areas. Studies show that students with knowledge of music are able to better solve problems in other areas such as math.

· Music is fun. Music education can be a great creative outlet for children.

Now it is more important than ever for schools to secure funding for music programs. With budget cuts affecting school districts across the country, music is often the first type of program to lose funding or to be cut entirely. But something can be done. You can help your local school’s music program by supporting their fundraising efforts. When a child knocks on your door or a family member asks you to buy something to help support their school, consider it, because in doing so, you are supporting so much more than just music.

Doing Your Fair Share

A team can achieve far greater things together than they can apart. In order for this to be true, it is important that every individual is doing their fair share so the group can achieve their overall goals. When each member contributes their own unique abilities and efforts, the result can be something quite incredible.

For example, here’s how Jim Messina (President of Ashley Farms) relates doing one’s fair share to a musical performance:

"Everyone must attend all of the rehearsals, have a good attitude at rehearsal, there must be group discipline, students must work on their parts at home- or in other words, show up for the performance as prepared as you can be individually. That is the definition of doing your fair share.” 

Doing ones fair share can add up to something wonderful, in the case above: a flawless performance.

The concept of doing one’s fair share can definitely be related to fundraising as well. For example, if each student participating in an Ashley Farms’ fundraiser takes a brochure, shows it to friends and family and sells at least a minimal amount of 10 items, then two goals have been reached. The student has achieved an individual goal- which adds up to a collective group goal. 

Working hard alongside others to achieve a common goal (whether it is your teammates, group members, classmates or coworkers) is a skill that will be used throughout one’s entire life. Just remember- better results can be accomplished as a team, not only the collective results but the individual results as well!

Building Character Through Fundraising

 With all of the things that your school does for its students, how does it address the prime objective of growing up- not just teaching students academics, but helping them to become good people? Fundraising can teach a child many skills not taught in the classroom, such as trustworthiness, responsibility, citizenship, philanthropy, communication skills and much more.

Fundraising teaches a child self-confidence, and self-worth. It gives opportunity for a child to learn how to talk to strangers (in a safe environment) and maintain a positive attitude in the face of rejection. Rejections can lead a child to feelings of disappointment and dismissal. However, this is also an important opportunity to build character. Handling rejection is an important part of life and going door to door is a way to receive a good amount practice in rejection. 

Other important lessons that can be learned are about people and sales skills. In order to successfully sell something to others, the child needs to develop a number of skills in how to talk with people and what is the best way to present oneself. Good salesmanship, involves good customer service and treating people correctly. Communication skills are some of the most sought-after skills that employers are looking for, and teaching a child the basics of good communication early on will build better communicators in the future.

Being a successful fundraiser involves speaking politely to people and talking with confidence. It teaches children at a young age the skills that help shape them into the people they will become in the future and helps them understand the ups and downs of attempting to accomplish a goal. Fundraising is a great way to watch a child grow confidence and character, and what could be more satisfying than that?