Teamwork!

How long do you think it takes to revitalize a school? Three months? Two weeks? Three days?

I’ve seen it done in six hours.

In six hours I have seen volunteers, who are in no way experts or specially trained, transform buildings with no life and give these places a breath of fresh air. I have seen schools, shelters, transitional housing facilities, and community shelters all revived before my eyes. Colorful murals, breathtaking gardens, freshly painted line games and planter murals created all in the short time span of six hours.

How is this possible? My answer is simple, teamwork.

Yes, there is a great amount of planning that goes into these projects, as there is with any other event. However, what really drives a project are the people and how well they work together.

Over the last two months as the Corporate Service Coordinator at Jersey Cares I have been fortunate enough to always work with groups who naturally follow their basic human instincts and seek the help of their peers. As soon as the introductions are done, the directions are explained, and the groups are separated into their projects and grab their supplies; the first sentence I almost always hear is, “how are we going to do this?” From the moment the project gets into motion, everyone is thinking as a group and knows that the project cannot be done alone nor can it be done without communication.

Teamwork is the key in these projects and it ultimately is what drives these projects towards success. What many people may not realize is that volunteering does a lot more than just helping the community. It also brings people together and strengthens the bonds in the community as well. Whether it’s people in your work place, your friends, your family, or even strangers; civic service naturally brings people together and helps everyone recognize the importance of teamwork.

Team effort is what beautified all those schools, shelters, and community centers. Team effort is what assembled all those kits, served all those meals, and what ultimately brought smiles to hundreds of peoples’ faces. Teamwork is what drives our community and I hope, it inspires YOU to help make a difference.

 - Sarah Lansey