Comstock: In praise of volunteers

I am a volunteer junkie. It seems I can find the enthusiasm needed to get involved, when certain community projects appear. Over time, you start to recognize those people who re-appear at deputations, talks, displays and the councilor’s ceremonials. These people provide a role that is the very necessary social glue of the community. There are fewer of them than needed Downtown. The density and changing population of city life make it awkward to establish common ground.

Some volunteering types are political, others are not. A particular event can “politicize” an individual. In this case they become personally involved with a particular issue and that issue “brings them out” into the social life of the community. They attend types of gatherings and functions related to their cause. They will bring up their issue at other meetings whenever possible. The less political just want to see something built, a better school, a problem solved or a festival. Some volunteers start with organizing neighbourhood garage sales, then serving on community associations, then looking at the streetscape and ecology issues, etc. The song lyric, “You have to fight for the right to Party!” is a sentiment the festival organizer or fundraiser would understand.

A lot of folks can be rallied to stop something from happening. “Stop the War” has often worked for me. This quarter of the year the St. Lawrence Market Gallery has a “Stop Spadina” retrospective. Many volunteers were politicized by this event, largely because of the unexpected victory. Currently, the largest Downtown local group seems to be the”Stop the Island Airport” group which is hoping for a similar result. So, you know what I mean as the group that is “those opposed.”

Probably the most needed and important of all volunteers are “those supporting”, and not political. Here we have volunteers that see the philosophical glass half- full, the best of all festivals just ahead, and a shiny lining with every dark cloud. They apply creativity to city building, venture into new concerns and really enjoy the community dialogue. Of this type of person the prime example is my mentor in the St. Lawrence Market area, Alan Seymour.

Alan recently shocked a number of us with individual personalized letters announcing his retirement or withdrawal from the many neighbourhood roles and responsibilities he has shouldered for many years. Well past the age of retirement, Alan continues to work with a research and testing group of companies near the airport. The opportunity to spend much of the summer on the Forks of the Credit Rivers and easily drop in to his business interests was just too idyllic to past up. Being away for extended periods of time would impact his ability to continue volunteer work at his current level. Planning well, and doing the administration work is a leadership example he has given to those with whom he was worked.

His exit strategy as planned includes leaving the Old Town Toronto (Promotional) Alliance, and Alan is the one attributed with the creation of the name Old Town Toronto and for the land area that it defines. Responsibilities include; the web-site of the Alliance, www.OldTownToronto1793.com, OTTA involves the hotels and attractions of the area plus a business directory and is the tourism arm of SEDERI (South East Downtown Economic Revitalization Initiative) on which he serves as a Director.

He leaves as a founding member of the North Market Initiative which has come very close to the building of a new Farmers’ Market. He has recently left Longboat residents association and that connection to the St. Lawrence Neighbourhood Association, on which he served as President a few years back. I know his Rotary buddies, that meet at the Fantasy Farms on Pottery Rd. will miss him at the meetings because he has pre-paid the luncheons.

Citizens for Old Town and his work with Heritage Toronto will diminish. I will miss his continued support in trying to build a new seniors building Downtown. His wife Norma Seymour, her gracious style as host of many events and the great Farmers Market scarecrows at harvest time, are also in jeopardy.

This penchant for volunteering can lead to a whole lot of unpaid work. It requires one to find the reward in accomplishments sometimes only a few can see. It requires the ability to delay reward and accept foolish criticism. The thing never to accept is that dreary feeling of time and effort wasted. Sometimes when you are tired you might ask, “Why did I ever take this on?” But without volunteers we would find Toronto a bleak and lifeless city. It is the most noble and altruistic of activities.