PCA Southeast Michigan Region

From the Blog

P4-2018-09 – Fueled by Volunteers

By Don Kleist

If you attend a PCA sponsored event you are likely to see “Fueled by Volunteers” on t-shirts and banners. Volunteers make events possible, be they Parades, Treffens, Escapes or region-sponsored events. PCA has a small permanent staff, but the majority of work is performed by volunteers. About 2300 members and guests attended Porsche Parade at Lake of the Ozarks this summer. More than 800 attendees volunteered a few hours of their time. Quite a few other volunteered much more, starting 3-4 years ago!

Here at SEMPCA we have no permanent or paid staff. Everything that gets done is done by volunteers. We do have many volunteers, but they are a small percentage of our total membership. We can always use more.

I have been one of those volunteers almost from the moment I joined PCA. Board member, webmaster, P4 editor, co-chairman of Street Survival School, co-chairman of the Family Picnic and frequent contributor to P4, are some of the ways I have contributed to making SEMPCA a vibrant region that serves the needs of our membership. We are getting some new volunteers, but we could use more.

Here I speak only for myself, but I suspect I share these feelings with most of the members who volunteer their time. I gave my time and efforts freely because I want to make SEMPCA a region that we all take pride in and enjoy the activities. But time marches on and the years pile up. It is time for me to step back a bit. I have heard similar sentiments from others.

Jerry and Patti Door, Fred Young and Michael Cohen are long time volunteers who also want to step back a bit. Jerry and Patti are both past Region Presidents, serve as co-chairmen of the Family Picnic and help with many other events. Fred Young is a Board member and, for as long as I have been going to the Family Picnic, has run the concours and hand crafted some of the neatest trophies I have ever seen. Michael Cohen is currently editor of P4 and serves on the Board. He has also been a frequent volunteer at our Driver’s Education events.

We want to step back a bit, not walk away. If you volunteer, we will provide guidance and mentoring and even help out a bit. We want to make you successful.

If you are able to offer some of your time, contact any board member and let them know that you are willing. Their contact information can be found near the front of P4. In my 17-1/2 years as a member of SEMPCA, I have never seen an event that had too many volunteers. Help if you can. It is rewarding, lots of fun, and a good way to meet other members.

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