Every volunteer is essential and special. Whether you are helping out in classes by leading or sidewalking (over 200 positions weekly!) or assist in other critical capacities feeding horses, helping in the office or barn, YOU are vital to High Hopes!
As such, it’s essential for us to know when not to expect you. If you foresee a need to cancel, please be sure to submit your cancellation to Emily or through our website (HERE) as soon as you are aware of it. This allows us ample time to find an adequate substitute. In the event of a last minute (within 48 hours) cancellation (such as car trouble or illness), please call in and speak to a person or leave a message in our cancellation mailbox. Do not leave a message on an individual staff member’s phone or text your cancellation- we spend a lot of time in the barn and could miss your message. Thank you!
Volunteer Maris Wacs, shares her insight on volunteering
and the impact of cancellations
Hello fellow High Hopes Volunteers,
I hope this email finds you well and enjoying the last few weeks of summer.
I have recently learned that volunteer cancellations have become an issue for the folks who work in the office, program, barn, and facilities at High Hopes. I understand that we all have life that gets in the way of our commitments at times, and High Hopes understands this too. Here is the problem, they are so understanding that they end up without people to do the work we have signed up to do.
There is this sense when one cancels that someone jumps in off the sub list and replaces us. In reality that very rarely happens, and staff (who are already over tasked) have to stop their work and do ours. We have seen the numbers about how huge the volunteer population is, and I know we are all proud to be a part of this group, but do not let that fool you into a sense that things will just get done.
I am asking you now to think about your volunteer spot. I am a side walker. I know there is value in the relationship I have with my rider(s), we all feel this in our different jobs. As a side walker the consistency of that relationship affects the rider. Cancelling and having a new person can also affect that rider’s lesson. Wherever you volunteer, that spot is open because it needs to get done.
Can we as a community come together and up our game? Can we try harder to arrange our schedules to accommodate our commitments to High Hopes? Can we show High Hopes that we value the work we do? Take pride in this, we keep the entire system going. As the summer comes to an end and you may be signing up for new fall spots or continuing with existing ones, I am asking you to write them in red on your calendars and really prioritize keeping this important commitment.
Each and every one of us matters, let’s show them that we know it. I challenge you to avoid cancelling, and if you do, then offer to sub a different spot in return.
Take care and see you at the barn,