I give at least 15 hours a week. I don't do it for glory, and I don't do it to please others. I surely don't do it to feed my ego. And no, I am not "padding" that time either.
You see, my dad died when I was almost 10. I had a mom and two sisters then... but no male figure to emulate. Then one of my friends graduated from WEBELOS to Boy Scouts... I came to that meeting and joined right then. Yes, I was a year early, but they didn't seem to mind much.
My second Scoutmaster (no, I didn't run the first one off) had never been a Scout. So he and I became really good friends and I found someone to learn how to be a man from and he learned how to be a Boy Scout from me. We really learned a lot together. He saw me through thick and thin, rebuking me for screwing up, encouraging me for doing well, and imparting his rather odd sense of humor to me over the next several years. He left an indelible impression on me... and the way I view this world. I don't know what I would be doing or how screwed up my life would be without Fritz Dahlstedt. I am firmly convinced that I would not be the Dad or husband that I am. In fact, I would probably be in prison or dead.
I must admit, that there are tears in my eyes as I write this. For I am truly thankful for an orginization that brought such a selfless person into my life. EVERYONE should be given the same chance that I had... so I volunteer. I could never repay what has been given me, but I do try hard to pass it on. Just as teaching a man to fish teaches him to feed himself for life, teaching a nation's youth to GIVE OF THEMSELVES FROM THE HEART teaches our nation how to be truly great. It's impossible to catch up... for the blessings I get from the kids still outstrip anything I can do for them. The more I try to repay the debt, the bigger it gets. It's a win/WIN situation. If you haven't volunteered your time yet, what in the world are you waiting for? "For to whom much has been given, much will be required."
Sorry for the emotional outpouring... but this is something close to my heart (can ya' tell???).