Guest blog post by Candace Karu, Lifestyle Commentator and Favorite Foodie at Cabot Creamery
The founding of Cabot Creamery in a small town in Vermont in 1919 was based on the spirit of cooperation, staking a claim in the fundamental idea that together they could be stronger and better than they were alone. Since that time, the farmer owners of this thriving dairy cooperative have built their lives on the principles and spirit of cooperation.
That spirit pervades the very DNA of Cabot not only in business, but also in the daily lives of its farm families, in their homes and in their communities. Farm life is a family affair, and success depends on the full participation of every member. Cabot farmers bring that intention to their communities as well. They are inveterate volunteers – firefighters and Sunday school teachers, classroom aids and soup kitchen servers – these families have always known that making their communities stronger, healthier and better only enhances their own lives.
Cabot’s long history of volunteerism was the impetus to create Reward Volunteers®, a mobile app and computer widget that allows volunteers to log hours, post to Facebook and win rewards for themselves and the organizations they serve. Cabot developed Reward Volunteers in collaboration with Chalo Inc, a social business start-up.
Roberta MacDonald, Senior Vice President of Marketing at Cabot sees this app as an extension of Cabot’s ethos: “Our farmers are avid volunteers. They have a long history of engagement with their communities. With this national effort, we are hoping that public Facebook posts will inspire others.”
The app was introduced on Valentines Day, in time to get it up and running for National Volunteer Month in April and National Volunteer Week April 15-21 – a time that officially recognizes the contributions of more than 64 million volunteers in the United States.
The Reward Volunteers app’s release was also timed to support sponsorship of the Cabot’s 2012 Community Tour, a 2,300-mile trek up the East Coast Greenway starting in Miami on May 12 and culminating in a Grand Finale in Portland, ME on July 7. Participants will ride, walk and bike all or part of the Greenway stopping in communities along the way, with major events in seven cities.
The Tour, which celebrates the United Nation’s 2012 International Year of Cooperatives promotes cooperatives and the cooperative business model, and honors local people who give their time and skills to strengthen their communities.
“Cabot’s farm family owners want to spread the word about volunteering and honor those dedicated volunteers who give of themselves every day. This is an effort to document, and make clear, exactly how valuable volunteered time really is,” says MacDonald. “Volunteers are the true celebrities in our culture. We hope this app and the Community Tour will help us recognize them and the great organizations they support.”
Try to imagine a world without volunteers – an almost impossible request. Shelters and soup kitchens would fold, fires would burn out of control, fewer children and adults would learn how to read and write, more children and adults would go hungry, disaster relief would reach many fewer victims. Volunteering is woven into the fabric of our country. Volunteers make a difference every day, in their communities and throughout the world.