Volunteers alive and thriving
Is Tennessee failing to live up to its name:? ?The Volunteer State’That seems to be the premise of an April 16 article in The Tennessean.?The article, written by Jennifer Brooks, is based on the latest survey by the Campaign for National and Community Service, which ranks Tennessee 39th in volunteering for public service.
?Our Miss Brooks? laments the ?fact? that ?less than a quarter of the state?s residents donated any time to public service last year.?? The problem with that ?fact? is it completely ignores the ultimate Tennessee Volunteers for public service:
Our brave men and women who choose to serve, and to sacrifice in the military.
This is not a minor oversight.?Instead, it turns a blind eye to the basic ideal of ?The Volunteer State.? That ideal was famously realized during the War of 1812, when Gov. Willie Blount called for 3,500 volunteers, and many times that number of Tennesseans enthusiastically responded. ?
Tennessee?s reputation as ?The Volunteer State? was further enhanced during the Mexican War, which began in 1846. When Secretary of War William Marcy called for some 2,800 recruits from Tennessee to man two infantry regiments and one cavalry regiment, about 30,000 Tennesseans volunteered their services.
Since then, Tennesseans have continued to volunteer in droves ? in war and peace ? to preserve and protect our state and our nation.?Their service and their sacrifice deserve the thanks of a grateful state and a grateful nation.?They exemplify and personify our hard-earned tradition as ?The Volunteer State.?
Tennesseans in uniform have been by joined by our neighbors on the home front, who volunteer their time, talent and energy in service to others every day.?They, too, get scant credit in The Tennessean article. In fact, I detect a distinct urban bias in the article?s examples, which focus mainly on volunteers in Nashville and Davidson County.
Meanwhile, in the cities, towns and suburbs of the other 94 Tennessee counties, including this one, volunteers, military and civilian, are reaching out to serve others.
They do so in an infinite variety of ways-from delivering meals on wheels, to visiting the infirm and elderly, to coaching sports teams, to tutoring and mentoring our youth, to supporting Families in Crisis, Habitat for Humanity, Nursing Home Christmas, Share a Christmas Dinner, Toys for Tots, and a panoply of other projects and programs.
If Miss Brooks, and others of her ilk, would venture outside their urban towers, they just might reach a different, more realistic conclusion about the nature of volunteerism in ?The Volunteer State.? My experience, research, and most of all, my gut, combine to tell me that Tennessee Volunteers are alive and thriving, all across the state.
Fortunately for all of us, Tennessee?s true Volunteers still serve and sacrifice, not for ratings and recognition, but for the sheer satisfaction of knowing they have touched the lives of others.?Whether serving in uniform or serving those less fortunate, Tennessee?s volunteers continue to put a positive face on ?The Volunteer State.??
Thomas B. Vaughn is an instructor at Motlow College and co-host of the radio show ?Viewpoints,? which airs on WCPI 91.3 FM.