On Volunteers and Coolness

OK. I admit it. I suck as a volunteer recruiter. Maybe if I was recruiting volunteers for a cookie eating contest I might have some success. But, I am a failure at getting people in my neighborhood or any neighborhood for that matter to volunteer to help pickup trash, plant natives or water the recently planted black sage or lemonadeberry along Rose Creek.

I think it’s because I’m not a bouncy cheerleadery type of person. I don’t jump up and down with enthusiasm. I don’t wear cute outfits. I’m middle aged after all and cute outfits make us older women look slightly pathetic. So I stick to the basics for outdoor work: Levi’s 501 jeans and a t-shirt from my last environmental volunteer opportunity.

On Wednesday of last week, I went to the California Coastal Commission (CCC) hearing to protest Orange County’s attempt to build a toll road through the Donna O’Neill Land Conservancy and San Onofre State Park. Don't forget, the proposed road would have put a six lane highway twenty feet from Panhe, which is an ancient Acjachemen village, currently used for ceremonial purposes and as a burial site for the Acjachemen people.

With a turnout of between two and three thousand people protesting the building of roads through parks and open space preserves, I want to know how Surfrider does it. They consistently turn out crowds for clean ups, paddles and now a recording breaking crowd for a CCC meeting. And what a turnout it was. Babies and ninety year old grandparents. Tweens and teenagers in body paint. Even Ronald Reagan was resurrected for the event. Not only was February 6 his birthday, but as Governor of the State of California, he signed the legislation creating San Onofre State Park. This is the first rally I’ve ever been to where Ronnie spoke out to protect the environment. But speak he did from t-shirts and cardboard signs and even human lips wearing Ronnie masks.

Not to go off onto a tirade against our former governor, let’s get back to the matter at hand. How to recruit volunteers? Was it the t-shirts? The free food? The surfing legends like a gray-haired Shaun Tomson who spoke in opposition to destruction of parks?

I’ve wrote newsletters, flyered the neighborhood, held ice cream socials and even provided a band – and a few people did show up, but …. At any rate, I’m decidedly uncool and not succeeding in getting the community to rally around Rose Creek.

So is there a cool event school I can go to? Maybe I should show up at cheerleading camp this summer and get a few pointers on being enthusiastic. Is there a secret handshake to get people to care about their community and volunteer to pull a weed, pour some water, pick up a piece of trash or attend a meeting?

If so, can someone please provide me with the key?