On Feb. 19, the Peninsula News Review joined Beacon Community Services in celebrating some of the volunteers whose dedicated service goes largely unnoticed.
Many of those people would rather we not create such a fuss but at a fundamental level — we must disagree with that sentiment.
It has been said that to maintain a good level of volunteerism in any community, those people who give of their time must feel as though their efforts are appreciated.
For some, that gratitude can come from the people they are volunteering for — the shut-ins, children and visitors who might not otherwise get a meal, hunt for Easter eggs or build Lego models.
For others, a pat on the back once in a while is thanks enough — maybe an appreciation event of some kind now and then.
And for some, well, they’d rather go about their business without any such fanfare.
At its root, the annual Hearts of the Community gala celebrates all of those volunteers and more. It’s an event that gathers people whose peers nominate them for special recognition — and for young people whose community service will strengthen the fabric of the Saanich Peninsula for years to come.
People who volunteer do it for many reasons and it should come as little surprise to them that many other folk really appreciate the work they do.
So, a little gala event and luncheon is a small price to pay — some tiny degree of local fame — for that community service.