Much has been said lately about the many volunteers who have lined up to help the DeVries family with the “Extreme Makeover” house. I also think it is great to have neighbors helping neighbors. I would like to point out, however, that it is not unusual to have volunteers helping people in our community.

RSVP has more than 600 volunteers enrolled and reporting some of the good things they do to improve life in Freeborn County. RSVP represents only a small portion of the people of all ages who volunteer here. People volunteer at churches and schools, nursing homes and civic organizations, food shelves, museums and disaster relief organizations. Every day, I have the privilege of working with volunteers who give of themselves and their time to help others. They do it because it is fun and because it is needed. They do it out of gratitude for what they have been given and out of a desire to give to others.

I’d like to congratulate and thank the hundreds of volunteers who donate tens of thousands of hours of their time every year to make Freeborn County such a great place to live. And I’d like to encourage the people who helped with the “Extreme Makeover Home Edition” to continue to volunteer for our many local organizations who depend on volunteer service.

Beth Spande

RSVP director

Albert Lea