There are people who turn on the lights before others arrive – and turn them off again when everyone has gone home.
On Friday evening, they were the ones being celebrated as volunteers from the social sector across Billund Municipality gathered for a Volunteer Party at Viadukthallen in Filskov to mark Volunteer Friday.
And this evening, the message to the volunteers was quite simple: Stay seated.
As tradition would have it, the roles were reversed, and members of the municipal council had taken on the serving duties.
– You show up when you could have stayed at home. You give your time, your energy and your good spirits – not because you have to, but because you want to make a difference for others, said Liga Larsen, vice-chair of the Volunteer Council, which organises the party, in her welcome speech.
She also put into words all the work that often goes on behind the communities and activities that others simply see running smoothly.
– You have carried things, tidied up, planned, listened, comforted people and found solutions. But tonight, you don’t have to take care of anything. You don’t have to remember anything. And you don’t have to clean up. You just have to accept our biggest and warmest thanks, said Liga Larsen.
The mayor brought the contract along
Mayor Stephanie Storbank also brought her sense of humour as she thanked the volunteers for their efforts.
She had brought along the volunteers’ very special “employment contract” to the lectern – the one none of them has ever signed, but which they follow year after year all the same.
One of its clauses, for example, stated that a volunteer steps up when someone asks: “Isn’t there someone who can just…?” – and says yes before the sentence is even finished.
And then there was the pay:
– No salary is paid. In return, you receive unlimited amounts of coffee of varying quality, support from people you have never met and – once a year – a dinner where the mayor tries to say thank you in a way that feels adequate. It never quite works. But we try, said Stephanie Storbank with a smile.
Behind the humour, though, was also a heartfelt thank you to the many people who give their free time to help others.
– You don’t just create activities – you create communities. You don’t just put on events – you build relationships. You don’t just create experiences – you create a sense of belonging, said the mayor.
She also pointed out that volunteering has now become a permanent part of the work of one of the municipality’s political committees. But, according to the mayor, volunteering itself cannot be created in a meeting room.
– Volunteering lives with you – in the associations, in the communities, in the ideas someone has on an ordinary Tuesday and simply decides to make happen.
And on Friday evening, it was the local politicians who had to make something happen. Namely, getting the food to the tables.
As Stephanie Storbank observed about the municipal council’s skills as serving staff:
– Not because we are particularly good waiters, but because we want to show that we see you and respect your efforts.
