Slice of Life: When Passionate Volunteering is Thanked

Whew, today was a long day! It’s late and I am just starting to think about my blog now. In thinking about what I would write about, I decided to tell you about an unexpected gift I received Sunday when we got home from our cabin.

As we drove up the driveway, I saw the recognizable white box from the post office that is used for priority mail sitting on my front stoop. I had not ordered anything, so I did not know what it was or where it was from.

When I picked it up, I saw that it was from the local DNR (Department of Natural Resources) office. Immediately, I know the box is from T.W. – a DNR employee I worked with this summer to monitor monarch butterflies at one of Wisconsin’s State Natural Area (SNA). But, I still couldn’t imagine what was inside.

Once we had unloaded the car, I opened the box. Tucked inside was a new baseball cap with a State Natural Area patch. There was a sweet note and a gift card to Cabela’s as well.

I was touched! I really didn’t do much for this monarch conservation field project that was a collaborative effort between Monarch Joint Venture, the Wisconsin DNR, and the Natural Resource Foundation of Wisconsin. The SNA I was assigned to was an hour from my home. I went a total of three times from mid-summer to fall. The large field was planted in soybean and had a sole milkweed plant! Still, I take my volunteerism seriously, as anyone who knows me understands. So, I went and looked at that sole plant each summer month and recorded my observations as limited as might have been. I never saw a monarch on the property at any time.

I have been well thanked for the time I spent volunteering for monarch conservation this summer by the organizations that ran this project. And, I’ve got to tell you, it was so very welcome and made me feel proud that I was involved with such caring organizations and people.

If you volunteer for a cause you are passionate about, you can overlook not being thanked. I know. I’ve been there, too. But, when you ARE passionate AND you are thanked, well, there is nothing better!