"Volunteerism"

One of the things I like about living in Shiloh is the community spirit. Of course, when we first arrived here, we were all about the same age with young children or expecting the firstborns. At that time, twenty-seven and a half years ago, there wasn't much more than a fifteen year age span from oldest to youngest adults.

Today, even though our record-breaking over one hundred year old resident is now buried in the cemetery, we have a number of people in their eighties and also some couples who are still in their teens or early twenties.

Yes, today's Shiloh is different from the one we moved to, but some things are the same. It's still a community with opportunities and the need for volunteers.

My favorite committee is the Election committee. Like Brigadoon, it comes and goes. Every year or so, before local elections, there's a town meeting to choose "Va'adat Kalpi," the Election Board. I've been running elections here for about twenty years. It used to be among the responsibilities of the Appointments Committee, but then it was discovered that the department of the Ministry of the Interior had certain procedures they demanded, and we hadn't been doing it correctly.

The Election Board is a temporary status, generally only for twenty-one days. If we need an extension, we must contact the proper government official. If someone here decides that a "mistake" was made, we're called in for investigation. It's not pleasant and a real waste of time. That's one of the reasons I keep getting appointed, technically voted in by the Town Meeting.

For good or for bad, people trust me and know that I'll stick to the rules and not play games. Also, I know the rules. I learned them from a neighbor who is an expert in law. She trained me.

My computer has the standard announcement in its memory. Each time, I just have to make a few changes.

I don't mind doing it for a few reasons. One is that the committee only exists for a few weeks, so it's not a long-term commitment. Another is that there isn't a paid person doing the same thing here. I refuse to volunteer for anything that has salaried workers doing the same. My time is no less valuable. And lastly, I feel confident that everything will be according to law when I run the elections.