Extension Service Offers Volunteer Opportunities

This past holiday season brought a spirit of generosity and loving-kindness for folks in Wise County. Everywhere you looked, people were throwing change into Salvation Army buckets, taking angels off of the trees to give presents to the needy, donating food items to pantries, and buying gifts for friends and loved ones. Do you want more ideas for how to give back to your community? Do you want to reach people across generations and offer a gift that lasts longer than the time it takes to take down Christmas decorations?

The answer to these questions lies in one word: volunteerism. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. once said, “Everyone can be great because anyone can serve…”          

Wise County has many people willing to reach out and care for others in need. I am excited to introduce to you another way to focus this incredible desire to help and give hope. You can now become a Master Wellness Volunteer!

So, what exactly is a Master Wellness Volunteer? Let’s start by defining wellness. Wellness is a state of health that doesn’t just involve the absence of an illness. It encompasses a person’s physical, emotional, social, spiritual, and financial well-being. It is my job as the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service Family and Consumer Sciences agent to promote wellness for our community through teaching others. Master Wellness Volunteers will have that same opportunity!

Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service has many programs for everyday folks to deliver to anyone.  Master Wellness Volunteers can help teach classes to any age group about the importance of eating fruits and vegetables.  They can serve as Walk Across Texas site managers.  Love to cook? Master Wellness Volunteers can assist with or provide healthy recipe demonstrations for people at various programs. The opportunities are endless.

Being a Master Wellness Volunteer doesn’t have to mean getting up in front of people and teaching a class. It can also mean helping with administrative tasks, like helping to register people for programming, entering important data into computers that is gathered from AgriLife Extension programs, and designing newsletters or flyers. There is a something for everyone!

What’s in it for you? Here’s one more quote – “You cannot help someone get up a hill without getting closer to the top yourself.” General H. Norman Schwarzkopf certainly knew about the side of humanity that longs for self-fulfillment.  The Master Wellness Volunteer program offers this sense of fulfillment with every hour of service donated.

Here’s the deal: Master Wellness Volunteers attend classes (a combination of face to face and online courses) that include 40 hours of training in health and wellness education. In return, volunteers agree to give back 40 hours of service to the community. Volunteer training will be held on the following dates: February 9, 23 and March 8 and 3 days study at home/online. For an application and more information, please contact Wise County’s Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service office at 940/627-3341 or e-mail ttdavis@ag.tamu.edu.