Before I begin, I would just like to make an interesting note that Dr. Lane voiced what is going on in my life: he went to college because that's what you do. He began to major in chemical engineering (which is what my dad wanted me to do) but changed his mind and pursued dentistry at the last minute. He thought he was going to hate dentistry (just like I think I'm going to hate Accounting, the major I think I'm going to choose), but he ended up loving his job and still loves it to this day.
Okay, I'm done with the woe-is-me-so-I'm-gonna-compare-my-life-to-this-guy introductory material.
Dr. Lane began his talk with a definition of civic engagement, saying that it is a civil responsibility built into the constitution and that we are called to be "a social participant in a democratic society." He gave us three examples of civic responsibility, cornerstones of democracy:
- Voting: It is honestly scary how many people DON'T vote. The highest percentage of people that have ever voted was in 1960 at 63% (that's not even a third!!!) and usual turnout for midterm elections is about 37%. (Because, apparently, we don't care who our senators are). Seriously...it's just the future and leadership of our country that we are ignoring. I, for one, despise politics, but I've exercised my right to vote every possible time since I've turned 18 (which is only two...but still, you get my point). If you don't vote, you don't get to complain about the leadership.
- Jury Duty: that horrible, horrific time that you are forced to sit in court. Bleh. But it's still a civic responsibility, and only 25-40% of people usually show up for it. This is a "put your big girl panties on and deal with it" time. But let's see how well I take my own advice when I'm called for duty.
- Volunteering: Alright, this is the point of this blog, so I'll continue below:
Funnily enough, people in the prime of life (35-54) have the highest rate of volunteering. Also, not surprisingly, college graduates are more likely to volunteer than other people. Going to college raises people's awareness of other's needs.
Dr. Lane volunteers in a variety of places:
- The Northwest Alabama Community Health and Dental Clinic was founded by the Tri-county Dental Society as a place where people can receive nearly free ($10) dental care.
- United Cerebral Palsy raises money to help families with children with cerebral palsy. They offer physical, speech, and occupational therapy for children. One of Dr. Lane's five children passed away from cerebral palsy, and he has both received help from and given back to UCP. UCP sponsors a Life Without Limits half-marathon to raise money, which Dr. Lane and his family help with each year.
- The Healing Place is another place that Dr. Lane and his family volunteer at. The Healing Place helped the entire family through the death of their son James. Dr. Lane enjoys giving back to the place that helped him so much.
- Camp McDowell is an episcopal church camp that Dr. Lane and his family volunteer at (especially his son Thomas). They are the lead doners in a building project called Bethany Village that will be 100% accessible to those with disabilities.
Final thoughts:
"Giving is more than money, but it is never less than money." We all have talent and time, and one day, hopefully, we will have money to give to organizations. But right now, as college students, we have talent and time to give to organizations. You may not live what you profess, but you will always live what you believe. Material possessions only make us feel good for a short time, and there's a limit to how much we can buy. Giving doesn't have an expiration date, and there's no limit to how much we can give.
Dr. Lane chose things that he was already intimately involved in, and those things were what he decided to commit his time to. This is also how I need to view which organizations to get involved with, which is something I'm still thinking about.
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