President

President's Message (April 2013):

April is National Volunteer Month

April encompasses National Volunteer Week, a time when community leaders and politicians pay keen attention to the growing number of volunteers, the countless noble causes, and the accomplishments of those who care enough to sacrifice their time, energy and money. The rewards are as numerous as the unmet needs of peoples across our nation. I can attest to the sense of community built upon the gratitude expressed by the beneficiaries of charitable work. Volunteerism need not be a temporary exercise in civility. I encourage each of our APCO chapter members to find a means of contributing something to your community, whether it be your time, sweat equity, or even your skills (we all have a few), become an active volunteer. The opportunities are many and broad in every town, county, or region. My wife and I can speak from firsthand experiences of the heart-warming rewards we enjoy from serving our community as Search And Rescue team members; after all, what greater return on investment of time and energy can there be than finding a lost senior citizen, child or despondent loved one and witnessing the relief that families members feel when reunited. It is especially important for us parents to teach by example, lest the next generation become a community of entitled recipients of another’s grace.

The Red Cross, faith-based organizations, city and county sponsored organizations and many more will welcome you, should you choose to “give something back”. Or you may favor quality over quantity by simply sharing your time with senior citizens.

It is more than appropriate that we also take the time to thank the volunteers within our chapter who spend a great deal of their time doing countless tasks that many of us take for granted. I am surely going to miss a number of worthy volunteers and will ask that you add the title of “volunteer” when we introduce ourselves during the April chapter meeting. A few who come to mind right away include, Preston Thomson, Angela Azavedo, Kent Eldridge, Ron Allison, Ron Sites, and many of you who modestly keep your deeds to yourselves. On behalf of the Northern California chapter of APCO International, thank you for all that you do. I look forward to seeing you at the April 18 meeting and encourage you to bring a guest, perhaps one with an operations (police, fire, medical, dispatch) background this month, and to register via our website, NAPCO.org.