Letter to the Editor: Convoy of Hope event full of ‘just another’ volunteers

Dear editor,

As I walked into the volunteer training for last weekend’s Convoy of Hope event, I ran into a Convoy vice president. We stood right at the point where a high-level city official was welcoming people and pointing them in the right direction for the evening’s program.

I made an introduction and started to give their work titles when the Convoy person interjected, saying, “This weekend, I’m just another volunteer.”

Those few words sum up what makes Convoy of Hope what it is: people without an agenda for anything but serving others.

There were a lot of “just another volunteers” – more than 2,600, in fact – who showed up Saturday, May 7, to work. These events, which serve thousands of people with food and services to make their lives better, are held around the country, often in major cities. On Saturday, the people of Convoy, along with the volunteers, showed the love to their hometown. [Editor’s note: It was Convoy’s 1,028th community event but the first of its kind held in Springfield.]

The event is set up to serve what they call the “guest of honor.” There is no hierarchy, no judgment, nothing but loving your neighbor. There is also no status or special treatment given to the people who have worked hard to plan the event throughout the past year. Committees have met weekly, and that’s part of what made the event run like clockwork.

Community leaders were pitching in with everyone. They didn’t have to be in charge, but they were still leading by example, and that says a lot about our community. The school superintendent, the Greene County presiding commissioner, the city manager, the mayor – all were spotted doing things as part of a larger group. These were not even prime positions. They chose assignments such as trash duty, for example, and happily carried huge bags of trash out, getting their hands dirty along with everyone else.

No status, no special treatment – just another volunteer.

—Kay Logsdon, Convoy of Hope board member