Shinseki Extols Value of Volunteerism
Amen To That!! Especially in agencies like the VA Care System, as the country always balks at funding the results of the wars of choice they cheer on, today creating more hatreds towards us and not just in policy! Volunteers have kept the clinics and hospitals etc. running smoother then they would have because of that lack of funding and advanced technology, for years. My hat is always tipped to those who really understand the sacrifice owed back in their own giving back!
Volunteers “Priceless” to VA, Country
WASHINGTON – Random acts of kindness are nice, but Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki told graduates at the University of Maryland University College (UMUC) that the world needs more “people who are regularly, habitually and deliberately kind.”
“We can no more put a value on kindness than we can put a price on heroism,” Shinseki told nearly 1,300 graduates. “People who make caring for others a personal devotion, a part of their everyday lives, that’s what’s needed – people who are willing to serve the needs of others.”
At the Department of Veterans Affairs, Shinseki noted, about 140,000 volunteers help Veterans at VA’s hospitals, Vet Centers and cemeteries. Conservatively, VA prices their time as worth $240 million, while the volunteers also contribute more than $80 million yearly in gifts and donations.
“There are some things they do that we can’t put a price on. Not everything can be reduced to a dollar value,” Shinseki added. “What’s the price of a Thank you? How about an hour of patience? What’s the going rate for dignity and respect for a combat Veteran? Such values cannot be calculated.” Continued



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