Late summer and early fall is a busy time for Grand Island. From the last week of August through early October, the community hosts a number of events that draw hundreds of thousands of visitors.
To make those events successful, many volunteers are needed, whether it’s the Nebraska State Fair, Husker Harvest Days, Aksarben Stock Show or Harvest of Harmony.
Last year, the Nebraska State Fair and Aksarben Stock Show were pared down and Husker Harvest Days and Harvest of Harmony were canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
While vaccinations for the coronavirus have helped, there have been recent surges of the virus in the form of the delta variant. A small number of people who have been vaccinated have come down with the virus. Plus, the number of people vaccinated in this area is not up to the levels health officials had hoped since the vaccines were introduced late last year.
That has raised concerns of the people organizing the events planned for Grand Island later this month and into early October when it comes to finding people willing to volunteer for those events.
“The recent surge we have seen, as it relates to the delta strain of COVID-19, has absolutely been a factor in a slow recruitment season,” said Courtney Lierman, vice president of the Grand Island Chamber of Commerce. “Though we have hundreds who are comfortable coming out, there are still many who are cautiously hesitant to join in.”
The chamber recruits volunteers for the Nebraska State Fair and Harvest of Harmony Parade. Each of those events usually require more than 1,000 volunteers.
Lierman said the chamber would never require its volunteers to be vaccinated, but will encourage them to “do what makes them feel most comfortable, including their choice of wearing a mask while volunteering.”
“We understand that choosing to receive the vaccination, or not, is a personal choice from every front,” she said. “As it relates to supporting our economy through big events and activities, we have to do whatever it takes to keep our community healthy so we can act as great volunteers and attendees alongside the hundreds of thousands coming to our community.”
Lierman said the safety of the volunteers is of the utmost importance because volunteers make things happen.
“They step up to move their communities forward,” she said. “They are the friendly face, the helping hand.”
Lierman said in their volunteer recruiting efforts, the chamber has seen a large generational gap in those who seek out volunteer opportunities in their spare time.
“Volunteers are found in schools, churches, nonprofits and public programs,” she said. “We’ve also seen several nonprofits struggle to engage their volunteer board of directors, as younger people are less likely to take on a time commitment outside of the office.”
Lierman said that for a community Grand Island’s size, there are hundreds of opportunities to donate one’s time and talents, both big and small.
For example, she said the chamber’s Nebraska State Fair volunteer program began in an effort to help offset the “unbelievable costs that the fair would incur upon its relocation to Grand Island.”
“The volunteer program has since grown to nearly 800 individuals putting forth approximately 15,000 hours, annually,” Lierman said. “When asking fair officials if they could host their event without volunteers, the short answer is no — thinking that 15,000 hours at minimum wage would be enough to sink the organization financially.”
Last year, even though the pandemic was affecting many in Grand Island and the surrounding areas, there still were those who stepped up and lent their time and talents to at least making sure some of the community’s events went on in the face of the public health concerns.
Lierman said Grand Island’s large number of volunteers during the years has demonstrated the community pride people have about where they live.
“Imagine being a guest who visits Grand Island and is greeted with a warm welcome, sincere appreciation for you being there, receiving helpful answers and suggestions for the duration of your stay,” she said. “That’s the kind of community we want to have — one where guests want to keep coming back because we are so welcoming and generous while they are here spending money at our restaurants and stores and sleeping in our hotels and campsites.”
Lierman said that in order to host large-scale events in the community and provide that welcoming presence, “it’s vital that we have the support of volunteers who are willing and able to bring forth the work it takes to make these events happen.”
She said events like the Nebraska State Fair, Aksarben Stock Show, Husker Harvest Days, Harvest of Harmony Parade and others all rely heavily on individuals in our community.
“Luckily for us, community-minded values are not gone forever; we’ve just had to encourage participation a bit differently,” Lierman said.
Some nonprofits have had to move away from event-based fundraising because they were unable to muster up the help needed to conduct their events, she said.
“Others have changed their meeting times and frequencies to accommodate a younger generation’s availability,” Lierman said.
Though priorities have changed in the community’s young people, she said it is organizations like Grand Island Young Professionals and Leadership Tomorrow that “remind us that we still have aspiring leaders in our community who want to follow in the footsteps of their role models.”
“As they try to navigate a work-life balance, these professionals are also seeking out ways to get involved and serve their community,” Lierman said.
She said they realize what volunteers for decades have known — “volunteering fills their hearts and fills their soul as much as it helps others.”
“Whether it be greeting guests at a parade or agricultural gathering, setting up or tidying the fairgrounds or event, serving on the board or committee for a local nonprofit, volunteers are needed all across our city in order to help our organizations grow and achieve their very important mission,” Lierman said.
For more information about volunteering, contact Lierman at 308-382-9210 or email her at [email protected].
