✧ Story by Debora Dragseth ✧

Imagine living in a community in which no one gave freely of their time and talents. There would be no volunteer fire department, no one working at the local food pantry, no Girl Scout or Boy Scout leaders, and no programs like the Make-a-Wish Foundation or Habitat for Humanity.

If anyone knows what truly defi nes community, it is the thousands of volunteers who are making a positive impact throughout our state. They are the active and engaged citizens who, despite the commitments and pressures of work and family, offer their time and talents to a wide range of activities that improve the lives of those around them.

North Dakotans demonstrate a strong sense of volunteerism. According to a recent report from the Corporation for National and Community Service, North Dakota ranks 12th in the nation in volunteerism with 35.6 percent of North Dakotans volunteering regularly, compared to a national rate of 26.7 percent.

There are countless examples of good works happening in our North Dakota communities every single day and we decided to use our holiday issue to highlight and recognize a sampling of our local volunteers and philanthropists. Because, even though the title of our magazine is Business Watch, we agree with Winston Churchill who said, “We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.”

RSVP: An Invitation to Serve RSVP

is America’s largest volunteer network for people 55 years or older. According to Kelsey Bless, project director forRSVP of Central North Dakota, in the first six months of 2008, Central North Dakota volunteers alone donated nearly a quarter of a million hours in service. Volunteer activities are diverse and widespread ranging from assisting teachers with reading skills programs for children to tax consulting to delivering and serving over 500,000 meals a year.

Two of RSVP’s most active volunteers are Bobbe and Dick Green, ages 80 and 81. Seven years ago, Dick returned from a visit to the Burleigh County Senior Center with some news for Bobbe, “I think I’ve got us a job.” The husband and wife team soon began delivering Meals on Wheels and today continue their service through RSVP by working concessions at music events, working at the Shrine Clinic and helping with United Way mailings among other activities.

Bobbe has been a life-long volunteer. She explained it this way: “You see a need and you have an inkling that you might be able to help a little bit and you become involved.” She began her volunteer journey as an advocate for children and adults with developmental disabilities by serving as the president of The ARC. Nearly 30 years ago, Bobbe volunteered as the first manager of The ARC Aid Thrift Shop in Bismarck. “I must have been very daring,” Bobbe stated, “because I was in way over my head at that job.”

Bless noted that there are scores of RSVP volunteers like the Greens who dedicate themselves to serving their communities adding that the Bismarck-Mandan area alone has 1100 volunteers while Dickinson boasts over 250.

Career and Volunteerism in Harmony

In addition to her demanding job as marketing director for the BNC National Bank in Bismarck, Jan Nelson is an active supporter of the arts, serving as the current president of the Bismarck-Mandan Symphony League. Nelson believes deeply in the power of volunteering. She began at a young age by helping her neighbors. “I was a pretty active kid, and because mothers tend to know best, my mother channeled my energy toward helping others.”

Today, Nelson’s energies are largely channeled toward the arts in the Bismarck and Mandan communities. She was a stay-at-home mom who began working at BNC National Bank 11 years ago, about the same time that the bank purchased a Steinway D Grand Piano for the symphony. After donating the grand piano, Nelson’s bank wanted someone to become involved with the symphony and track its investment. Nelson was thrilled to step up to the challenge. “I am lucky to work for a business that supports and believes in the power of volunteering,” she said.

Nelson often tells people that even though she can’t read a single note, she has learned to play with her ears. She believes that support of the arts is important because as schools continue to cut art and music programs from their curriculums, community arts associations are needed so that families and children can be exposed to the arts.

Nelson’s myriad of volunteer activities, past and present, are too numerous to list here. When we asked her what she did last weekend, Nelson told us that she was involved in the Buddy Walk promoting the Bismarck-Mandan Down Syndrome Network. “You know,” she said, “you just go help.”

Money is Not Enough

Karmon Taft’s job title is program coordinator at the Parshall Resource Center, a residential treatment center for those with drug and alcohol addictions. However, Taft goes far beyond his job description to help his community. Described by his coworkers as a person who never says, “No,” Taft wrote and received a grant in 2002 to fund a food pantry in Parshall. So far this year, the pantry has served 408 households, 875 adults, 776 children, and 83 seniors.

Originally from Indiana, Taft has worked for the Resource Center for 15 years. Taft said, “There is a real need for food in our community and as a nonprofit, we have to be more innovative and creative to meet that need. We are at the cutting edge of rural health care. It’s about the people working and standing together.”

Taft is careful to note that he could not accomplish his objectives alone. He works with many dedicated and caring individuals from across the Fort Berthold Reservation and beyond, from the two elders who staff the food pantry to the Great Plains Food Bank in Fargo that delivers over $750,000 worth of food per year to the small community.

But not all of the food that the pantry distributes is delivered to Parshall. A group of volunteers join Taft each summer on a trip to Montana to pick corn, which is then dried and preserved for distribution to the elders. New Town Community College has a garden that allows food pantry volunteers to harvest corn and potatoes. Beaver Creek Productions donates a buffalo to the food pantry each fall. Taft and members of his community appreciate the opportunity to travel to the Beaver Creek Ranch to perform a traditional ceremony prior to killing the buffalo.

Taft sums up his service to his community in this way, “It’s not the money. For some of the problems in a rural community, money is not the solution. Only by actively engaging people can we make the problem better. If we don’t take care of our young and elders, who will?”

Why I Give

Although volunteers and philanthropists do not seek or receive any monetary benefi t from their good deeds, many believe they get back far more than they give. Business Watch asked some of western North Dakota’s most active volunteers to respond to the question: Why do you give?

“If everyone gave something, even an hour a month, imagine how much we could improve our community.”
– Jan Nelson, president of the Bismarck-Mandan Symphony League

“I give because I realize how fortunate I have been to have a healthy family and adequate means to be able to spend my time where I fi nd it most fulfilling. I meet great people, I know what is going on in the community, and I foster my ‘can do’ attitude.”
– Bobbe Green, RSVP Volunteer

“You stagnate if you don’t give everything back that has been given to you. We need to get away from ‘me’ and get to ‘we.’”
– Karmon Taft, Parshall Resource Center program coordinator ‘

“We give because it is the right thing to do. There are any number of worthy causes that deserve support, whether it’s financial, personal or both. Communities are made stronger and more vibrant when individuals work for causes that serve the greater good.”
– Paul and Gail Ebeltoft, West River North Dakota Coalition of Charitable Organization’s 2007 Outstanding Philanthropist Award Recipients

“We realize how fortunate we are to live in this great country and have a lifestyle that most of the people in the world don’t have. We give because we know that what we have is not ours; it has all been given to us by God. If we are to be good stewards with these gifts then we need to share.”
– Dale and Glenice Hansen, West River North Dakota Coalition of Charitable Organizations 2007 Outstanding Philanthropist Award Recipients

“Research shows that there is a strong positive relationship between volunteering and health. Volunteering lowers mortality rates, increases functional ability and lowers rates of depression. Volunteers who devote more than 100 hours per year are the most likely to exhibit positive health outcomes.”
– Kelsey Bless, RSVP Central North Dakota project director