I've been doing a lot of speaking in the past 3 years. Blogging has opened a lot of doors and for that, I'm very thankful.

I talk to college kids, Rotary clubs, marketing groups, you name it. I'm always asked to sum up blogging & online community and am forever asked the question "how do I get people to read my blog?" I say, it all comes back to altruism, which is at the heart of volunteering.

This is not an essay on altruism, though one more on the subject wouldn't hurt, this is a discussion of the values and virtues of volunteering.

I preach, no, I EVANGELIZE volunteering in all its forms. Help others, help your school, help your political affiliations, just help people. "Extending your hand is extending yourself," said Rod McKuen. It's true. The more hands you extend, the more you grow, help others grow, and extend yourself.

I was reading an article in the Green Bay Press Gazette this morning. We have a brilliant organization called The Volunteer Center of Brown County which currently has more than 3,000 volunteer opportunities from which to choose. Are you kidding me? 3000 - in a county of less than 240,000 people, there are over 3,000 opportunities to make a difference. WOW!

I'm not sure how much of the population volunteers their time each month. Perhaps someone could put that in the comments, but I venture that many of us do. Whether it's at our kid's school or for our scout troop or a neighborhood or professional association, we're all involved in some way. However, with over 3000 opportunities in our small county alone, I have to imagine that there are many, many more of us that could lend a hand.

I've been a volunteer since I knew what the word meant. Before I could drive I was organizing charity bike rides along Lake Michigan for the American Cancer Society. Mind you, I had no idea what the hell I was doing, but through the help of some ofther gracious volunteers, we got the job done and had an awesome time to boot!

I know, we all have a lot of commmitments already, but as I found myself tonight watching "Deal or No Deal", a waste of time to be sure, I was reminded that I have things on may volunteer plate that need to be done, so I'm back in the office. But what about those millions of people watching tonight that have nothing on their volunteer plate? Perhaps even those of us in Green Bay could pick up the slack here alone, say nothing for the impact we could make around the country.

Why should we volunteer? Well, if you're looking for reasons, here are a few (courtesy of United Way):

1# Free Food
Sometimes you get hungry.

2# Meet New People
Make friends-get a different view of things.

3# Help People Around You
Feel like you did something to help your community.

4# It's Fun Once You Get Used To It
It's healthy to have fun.

5# You Get to Go Outside and See The City.
It's good to have an adventure.

6# Personal Growth
It's always good to learn more about yourself.

7# You Make the World a Better Place
That's good cause we have to live in it.

8# Gain Job Experience
You have to get a job eventually, your parents will kick you out.

9# Gain Entrance into College
You need a good education to get a quality job these days.

10# Something to Keep You Busy
In case you get bored.

So, where do you start in your local area? Well, locate your nearest volunteer center or try VolunteerMatch.org for starters.