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Volunteer & Outreach FAQ
Demonstrations, special events, and fundraising help to keep a good thing going. With a little luck and continued support, this good thing eventually becomes a great thing. Read more about how your time and energy are very important to the success of the program.
- Why are there so many requests to volunteer? I donate a lot of money; isn’t this enough?
- My family and I are very busy and can’t help all the time. Does this mean we’re in “trouble”?
- OK, but MSMAP has a lot of things going on; it seems like overkill. Why should I volunteer?
- This seems like a lot of work. Why not make it easier for everyone and do less work?
- OK, I’m told these activities are important. But, isn’t “showing off” bad martial arts?
- Performing martial arts in front of people is scary. Why do you need me?
We wish. Dues alone are not enough to cover all our costs. The reality is that all bills don’t change with the weather (i.e., rent, insurance, maintenance, etc.), yet all bills must be paid to keep the doors open and maintain our high level of training and service. With many families traveling for all or part of the summer, our current financial intake from dues is not quite ideal. Therefore, fundraising and outreach events are critical to offset these seasonal financial changes, encourage more families to participate in our program, and improve our service to you.
Absolutely not. MSMAP recognizes and understands that individuals and families have very busy lives with many responsibilities for work, education, play, friends, and family. Our hope is that individuals and families can help with fundraising and outreach when it fits into their schedule. Each contribution of time and effort is a big help towards the continued success of the program and benefit for all participants — children, teens, and adults.
Another way to ask this question is, “What’s in it for me?” A very fair question. So, let’s be very clear: MSMAP wants members to be enriched in some way both through volunteer efforts as well as training. Demonstrations are a great opportunity to refine attitude and skills, similar to a promotion exam, but hopefully much more fun. Fundraising events are a fun, meaningful way to be a part of the community. Plus, participation in fundraising and outreach events has a direct positive effect towards improving the level and quality of our services while adhering to our core values — safety, education, and fun:
• scholarships for families in financial distress;
• improved training equipment;
• maintain clean, modern facility.
If MSMAP’s services are worthwhile, supporting MSMAP through fundraising and outreach events are hopefully also considered worthwhile.
MSMAP can certainly take a different, easier approach and offer less services, and groups of this kind are easy enough to find. However, MSMAP’s primary service is growth and self-improvement through martial arts training. There are no shortcuts to self-improvement, and it sometimes takes hard work.
MSMAP takes this responsibility seriously through action as well as word. Work and effort are necessary to constantly improve our core values — safety, education, and, especially, fun. Specific areas that benefit from all the fundraising and outreach efforts (and improve our quality of service) are the following:
• facility (rent, heat, sanitation, etc.)
• equipment (mats/floor, paddles, shields, etc.)
• instruction (confidence, education, good manners, self-respect, etc.)
The only “bad” martial arts are those that leave out the lessons on good manners. Since we emphasize good manners and respect, we are not showing off; we are examples of good citizens and invite others interested in being good citizens to join us.
Everyone is important to making a good thing better.
No argument here about getting in front of people and being scared. Martial arts is about recognizing that fear is a natural part of life. Dealing with fear effectively allows us to achieve REALLY BIG THINGS! If demonstrations and fundraising are scary, then they offer a great opportunity to learn how to deal with fear, and ultimately, become better martial artists. Hopefully, this leads to becoming better citizens.
