This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Health & Fitness

3 Cheers for Volunteers!

For many reasons, the Fourth of July is one of our favorites here at Fairfield County-based VolunteerSquare.com. Like most of you, we’re lucky enough to get the chance to take a breather today, if only for a little while, to spend some time with friends and family celebrating our country’s independence.

Thinking back on the significance of this day and why we celebrate it to begin with, we can’t help but be reminded of and inspired by the countless men and women who voluntarilystepped up over 200 years ago to do what they believed was right, knowing it wouldn’t be easy.

Today, we are equally inspired by the hundreds, if not thousands, of folks here in Connecticut and across our country who step up on a daily basis and volunteer their time for a cause. Some folks think that as a society we Americans are losing our connections to one another. We’re not buying it.

Last Fall, hundreds of you turned out all over the region, like here in Fairfield, to help pick up the pieces after Hurricane Sandy. In December, you came out in droves to support the Newtown community after a senseless tragedy claimed the lives of innocents and shook our country to the core. Last month, communities throughout Fairfield County rallied behind Boston in the One Run to support the victims of the April terror attack. Each and every day, from New Canaan to Greenwich toNorwalk to Darien to Stamford and beyond we see individual volunteers of all ages, skills, backgrounds and beliefs donating their time at our area’s soup kitchens, food pantries, homeless shelters, schools, churches and more. Volunteers matter.

Find out what's happening in Darienwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Don’t just take our word for it. The Corporation for National & Community Service has numbers that speak for themselves. In Connecticut as of 2011, 28.5% of residents volunteer. That puts us 22nd among the 50 states and Washington, DC. Cumulatively in 2011, Connecticut residents performed 81.7 million hours of volunteer hours. More Americans volunteered in 2011 than any year since 2005!

So keep up the awesome work, Connecticut! Three cheers for all the volunteers out there. Before we sign off, we hope that while you’re all enjoying the long weekend you take a few moments to remember and honor our nation’s ultimate volunteers – the men and women who serve our country.

Find out what's happening in Darienwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Have a safe and happy Fourth!

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?