By Sue Moretti Rogers
There is no doubt that we are very fortunate to live in such a beautiful community as Greenwich.
I count myself doubly blessed having the benefit of being a second-generation native and the opportunity to raise my two boys here. Aside from its geographically desirable location (a coastal community and a suburb of New York City), I think one of the best things about Greenwich is the abundance of ways that residents contribute to the town and our quality of life.
How many communities in our country are essentially run by a volunteer government with nearly 30 unpaid boards and commissions? Beyond the RTM, however, our community supports a vast network of charitable and community service organizations which are focused on all forms of need on a local, national or even global basis. I am in awe of the incredible amount of time, energy, effort, talent and funding that our fellow residents gladly put forth in the service of others.
But beyond the clear philanthropic nature of the activity, I have found that for me volunteering actually come from selfish place, odd as that may sound. I simply feel good helping others. It is a natural euphoria that it rarely surpassed. It is “heart healthy,” meaning that giving to others fulfills our hearts and our souls and not our wallets, unlike other activities. Volunteering connects you to others; it allows you to expand your area of expertise and gives you opportunities to learn completely new skills and to often challenge yourself in ways you never would do otherwise.
An additional benefit is the example we provide to our children. Much as my parents taught me, we show our children firsthand that giving back to the community does make a difference and does make you feel proud knowing that any act of charity can make an impact.
I want to share with you some lessons I have learned through my own volunteerism. My journey into community service has a much less altruistic beginning than I like to admit. I was a stay at home mom and, after my second son was born, I needed to have adult conversation with someone whose name wasn’t Elmo or Barney. It was then that I decided to join the Junior League of Greenwich.
The Junior League is an international organization founded in 1901 by Mary Harriman, a 19-year-old New York City debutante. She and 80 other young women sought to improve the living conditions of immigrants on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. Today, the Junior League is comprised of more than 150,000 women in 291 communities in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada and Mexico. Together, the organization has amassed an archive of tangible results and a reputation as thoughtful and influential change agents dedicated to the public good.
Locally, the Junior League of Greenwich was chartered in February 1959 and we have continued to serve and grow this community for 58 years. We are approximately 700 women committed to promoting voluntarism, developing the potential of women and improving the community through the effective action and leadership of trained individuals. Its purpose is exclusively educational and charitable.
When I first joined the League in 2002, my immediate reaction was that the talent and energy of its members was overwhelming, but also contagious. Since those early days, I have been afforded the opportunity to have breakfast with Santa, lunch with former Governor Jodi Rell, introduce Mary Tyler Moore at the League’s 50th Anniversary Luncheon, ride in a cherry picker and address the BET and RTM.
The accomplishments of the League are far too many to include here, but some highlights are the Boundless Playground in Bruce Park and the creation of Kids in Crisis and Children’s Day School. Our yearly programs, such as Positively Me and Positively More, educate the young girls of our community. We also currently run a monthly peer-to-peer support group for young women with breast cancer—the only one of its kind in Fairfield County. The League has raised countless funds for community programs including the latest effort in support of the Greenwich Pool in Byram Park project. Yes, the League is a one-stop shop of diverse experiences.
Lesson learned: If you volunteer enough, you never know what great opportunities you may end up having in life. Plus, you have the opportunity to meet and work with like-minded women. What a truly invaluable experience.
Volunteerism has enabled me to flex my gutsy muscles! In June 2003, Tracy Holton and I marched into Scott Mitchell’s office at Richard’s and pitched the idea of a fundraiser in the store for Community Centers, Inc. Scott loved our idea and asked when we wanted to hold the event. When we replied in November of that same year, he was speechless, and those of you who know Scott know that was quite a feat in itself. Not only did we pull it off in spades, it went on to become a successful annual fundraiser for CCI for over 10 years later.
Lesson learned: The worst thing someone could say is no.
When my oldest son started at Glenville School in 2003, I found myself smack in the middle of political dogfight over the rebuilding of the school. For those who remember, Glenville School was literally an aluminum foil building with no doors, no windows and a roof that leaked so badly that Inlands Wetlands wanted to designate the Kindergarten wing a protected wetlands area. I am kidding, of course, but water streaming down the metal walls did make artwork posting impossible.
The Glenville project faced setback after setback. There are many individuals who championed the project and advocated to keep going but the efforts of the Glenville PTA as well as the entire Greenwich PTA Council organization were at the forefront of fighting for the projects and keeping a focus on the children of our community. There is no way to adequately verbalize the collective sense of accomplishment when the building was torn down and the new school building was raised.
Lesson learned: Don’t give up even when all the odds are stacked against you—and make sure you bring along friends to help keep you going.
For many years, I had the honor of serving on the board of the Greenwich Alliance for Education, our town’s non-profit to support Greenwich Public Schools. Six years ago, we came up with the crazy idea of doing a Turkey Trot road race the weekend after Thanksgiving. The fact that none of us had ever organized a road race was a minor detail. Not only did we find support in the community, but the response has increased substantially from year to year. The event started with a few hundred runners that raised less than $10,000 has evolved into a race with over 1,200 participants and over $40,000 raised to support Greenwich Public Schools.
Lesson learned: If you don’t step forward, you will always be in the same place.
My intent in describing all of this is not to take on any mantle of glory but simply to show the variety of experiences I have been exposed to, the lessons I have learned and the incredible projects that the variety of community service organizations do in Greenwich. I have been helped, supported, held up and inspired by a long list of fellow residents, most of whom I can call my friends. Our efforts are repaid in so many ways that truly are too priceless to measure.
My last lesson: Don’t wait to be asked. Jump in with two feet, find your charity or community service organization, and join. You will never regret it.
Sue Moretti Rogers is president of the Junior League of Greenwich.
