Everyone in this room is a volunteer and everyone in this room has volunteered their time, their talents and their treasures way beyond the average individual. So in that regard, I am definitely preaching to the choir. It seems appropriate to start with the reasons why people volunteer their service before discussing specifically their personal rewards for volunteering. In the context of this presentation, I will relate primarily, but not exclusively, to dentists and their voluntary services to our profession, to our communities and to society in general. The reasons for volunteering are many, some we understand and some, I believe, we don't understand.
Most volunteers probably understand reasonably well why they volunteer.
However, within most of us there are reasons we don't fully understand or even don't wish to recognize. A listing of reasons for volunteering will be provided. I know this won't be complete but after considerable thought and even waking up in the middle of the night and having the gray matter working overtime, here are some reasons why the volunteer, volunteers. The sheer joy, pleasure and satisfaction of knowing something good will be accomplished from volunteering and that we will be a part of that achievement. Knowing that there will be the opportunity to see the gratitude in the eyes and faces of the recipients that have, without cost, been restored to health and relieved of pain and knowing that the recipients will have an improvement in their quality of life.