This is perhaps a bit of “an oldie but a goodie” quote, possibly because it always sticks with me, but since National Volunteer Week starts on the 17th of this month, it feels like it should be shared again: “Volunteering is the ultimate exercise in democracy. You vote in elections once a year but when you volunteer, you vote every day about the kind of community you want to live in.”
Last time I shared this quote, it was April 2020. It felt cliché then to write that “volunteers are the heart of our organization” or say to someone, “we couldn’t do it without you.” But now, with the last two years behind us, I wish those phrases had never been said until now because not only have they never been truer, both have taken on new meanings.
In April 2020, the lockdown was in full effect, and, if possible, while we were nearly a month into our LIVE! shopping nights and Share the Love gift certificate program, the work ahead of us was not quite perceptible.
Per the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation, Main Street Monroe volunteers donated approximately $30,000 worth of time last year. Over the entire lifetime of Main Street as an organization in Monroe, that total grows to over $350,000. And the amount has only gone up with each year. In 2019, it was $19,000. Our volunteers did not pause these past two years, they doubled down on their commitment.
The people who volunteer for Main Street are our lifeblood: some give hours per week, other hours for one event annually; some are young enough to choreograph TikTok videos (which they do!), some are old; some are highly educated; some bring specific skillsets that are needed for a 501(c)3 nonprofit that only has one paid staff person, which, on a personal note, can be tough to run in the best of times. Last year, as we brought back many of our events — Concerts, Cars on the Square, Trunk or Treat — while continuing pandemic relief efforts, the work became even more varied: graphic design, helping set up the farmers market, planting flowers, volunteering for LIVE! shopping nights, revamping and maintaining our website. Upwards of 100 people contributed more to make everything happen. The work and people may not immediately seem to overlap, but together these volunteers weave together their skills, time, and ideas to “vote” every day to make things happen, make Main Street what it is, and make Monroe better.
It often seems like a difficult task to properly thank volunteers. Seven hundred words in this column would not be enough to list everyone who helped make the last two years what they were. The past two years mattered in the best way possible. In many ways, they were a triumph. Through our LIVE! shopping nights and Share the Love gift certificate program $150,000 was generated in sales for local businesses while thousands came downtown to explore Mainopoly and attend events. There is real economic development occurring because of donated volunteer time.
In an ironic twist, one surefire way to know we have amazing volunteers who are committed, is that most of us never have to think about who planned a drive thru concert that did not actually happen, who arranges cars and drivers for participants in a parade, spruces up downtown benches, or is actually “Main Street Monroe” typing back on live social media videos.
My sincerest thanks to everyone who volunteers, especially those who have been able to over the past two years, no matter the organization, for helping make Monroe the kind of community we want to live in and for showing us how a community united cannot fail; no matter the circumstances.
This year, we anticipate hosting 30 event days, plus 52 outdoor farmers markets: with volunteers at every one of them.
For those interested in finding out more about how to volunteer for Main Street, visit mainstreetmonroe.org or contact Jordan directly at 608-328-4023.
— Jordan Nordby is the executive director for Main Street Monroe. He can be reached at MonroeMainStreet@tds.net. complete details on Main Street Monroe and its efforts can be found at mainstreetmonroe.org.
