“Mom, I wish you were here! Let me tell you what I’m doing that’s going to be so much fun! I’m going to a “Mom Prom” with a bunch of friends, and afterward we’ll donate our dresses to a program called ‘Blessed by a Dress.’”

 

“That sound fun! How does it work out?”

 

“Well, it’s all girls just going out dancing and hanging out, no guys. We get all glitzy and sparkly and dance the night away. After all that has been happening in our area, I think everyone needs a chance to unwind and act like a kid for a minute. We’ll take a change of clothes after the dance and leave our dresses.”

 

Later, Melinda sent me videos, and they were all having a blast! Ladies were decked out and the party was on! They had a mocktail bar, a photo booth and heavy hors d’oeuvres for everyone to enjoy. It was truly a multigenerational event with ladies from their 20s to 70 and beyond.

I was so impressed by not only the willingness of the community to get out and support a worthy cause, but also by their enthusiasm. Not only did many, many people and businesses give of their time talents, and finances, but also they did it with such joy. This event was a win for the organizers, the community and those who benefitted from the generosity of others.

After all the tired and happy dancers headed to their respective homes 196 dresses were left for the “Blessed by a Dress” ministry. Additionally, $5300 was collected from ticket sales and donated to a worthy foster care ministry.

Kudos to Kris Andrews Kinkead, owner of Kinkead Performance & Events LLC, and all the many volunteers who worked so diligently to make this event a success. Maybe I can go next year; I hate to miss such a cool party!

Volunteerism has long been a vital part of our nation and adds to the general well being of any community. According to information on betterimpact.com, “The United States leads globally in volunteering with 41.9% of the population actively volunteering.”

Baby boomers had the highest rate of informal volunteering at 59%. I don’t know how betterimpact gathers its statistics, but I believe informal volunteering could be as simple as helping a neighbor with a task.

I was a little surprised to read that the South was not at the top of the list since we all know that I’m a little partial to the southland. It looks like our friends out west have higher volunteer rates with Utah and Colorado coming in at the top. I had also never thought about socio economic factors playing a part in volunteerism, but that makes sense.

According to helpguide.org, volunteering provides lots of benefits to mental and physical health. Not only does it help to give individuals a sense of accomplishment and purpose, but getting your mind off your own worries and thinking of others is always a good idea.