Volunteering Weaves us Together

The theme for 2023 National Volunteer Week is Volunteering Weaves us Together. It’s a time to celebrate individual and collective actions that create strong, vibrant, and interconnected communities. 

The theme for 2023 National Volunteer Week brought to mind the idea of the Butterfly Effect. The Butterfly Effect is a theory based on the thought that something as simple as a butterfly flapping its wings can cause a hurricane on the other side of the planet. It speaks to the idea of how everything in the world is interconnected. 

The theme also resonated because it ties in so well to our premise that our family members, and volunteers, all of us, are stronger together.  

We regularly hear from grateful family members how connecting with a Volunteer Family Guide helped them feel heard, gave them hope and let them know they were not alone. Our Volunteer Family Guides help create a sense of connection, and interconnection for our family members and volunteers. By listening and providing a safe space, the actions of our Volunteer Family Guides have a tremendous impact.  

The Butterfly Effect might also be seen following a Speaker’s Bureau presentation, because someone remembered the family story they heard, and listened to the warning voice in their head, and spoke up about something they felt was unsafe. Because of our volunteer’s powerful story, they went home healthy and safe, instead of potentially not going home at all.  

Every day, thanks to our volunteers, Threads of Life is continuing along our vision journey to inspire a culture shift as a result of which work-related injuries, illnesses and deaths are morally, socially, and economically unacceptable. That journey will be comprised of hundreds and thousands of butterfly wing flaps – in the form of Speaker’s Bureau presentations, Steps for Life walks, conversations at trade show booths, and one-on-one chats, each one taking us one step closer to our ultimate goal.

During this National Volunteer Week, all of us at Threads of Life want to thank you for sharing your time, skills, passion and dedication to Threads of Life and our vision. This year marks our 20th anniversary, an important milestone. We have achieved a lot over the last 20 years, and that is because of our volunteers and their desire to make a difference, to make things better.  As we look to the future, we are confident that, with the continued support of our volunteers, we will achieve our vision. 

Happy National Volunteer Week to all our volunteers!